Malaysia clinic banks on telemedicine to tap patients

The telemedicine is offered by integrating medical devices, records and video-conferencing facilities providing experts with real-time information on patients’ conditions.

The outpatient facility charges a flat-rate of Sh3,000 for every e-consultation, targeting the surging numbers of patients seeking treatment abroad. “Telemedicine is mandatory for every patient study done in our facility,” said Columbia Africa general manager Sumit Prasad.

“Two of our specialist doctors, one in the Nairobi facility and another in any of our other 28 facilities in Asia, will give their second opinion to reduce possible medical errors.” Dr Prasad was speaking Tuesday in Parklands, Nairobi, during the official opening of their first branch in Africa.

Columbia Africa is part of US-based Columbia Pacific Management that also manages Columbia Asia, which has hospitals and clinics in India, Malaysia, China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Starting November, patients seeking speciliased treatment at the facility will be able to seek second opinion daily from medical expertise in Asia on various conditions including kidney and liver transplant medicines.

Other telemedicine services include; interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery, spine and neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, medical and surgical oncology and bone marrow transplants.

READ: Malaysia health firm opens Sh250m Parklands clinic

Cosmetic surgery, obesity surgery and management of high-risk pregnancies will also be offered. 

Dr Prasad said that a lot of patients who travel abroad for treatment are not usually furnished with the right information.

“Ninety nine per cent of medical tourists have scanty information of what is available locally that would otherwise save them costs for foreign treatment. Quality does come at a price and ours is unprecedented,” he said.

Columbia Africa has 11 specialist doctors offering a ray of services namely; family medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, dental and internal medicine, ophthalmology along with automated laboratory and radiology services.

Columbia Africa Clinical Coordinator, Linda Thorpe said the plan of setting up shop in a developing market is to serve those who would wish to travel abroad for specialised treatment but are limited by financial constraints.

Non-communicable diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and renal disease all contribute to about 60 per cent of the annual mortality in Kenya.

“We plan to leverage on our international presence and technology to provide quality healthcare and therefore reduce the number of Kenyans seeking these services abroad,” said Dr Thorpe.