Sunway flies high at Healthcare Asia Awards 2024

It has demonstrated a patient-centric approach through its initiatives to ensure personalised treatment journeys.

Integrated private healthcare group Sunway Healthcare received four major accolades at the recently held Healthcare Asia Awards 2024 for the impact of several of its initiatives, as well as its strong performance in the past year, highlighted by its commitment to technological innovation, specialised care, and trailblazing milestones.

Amongst these accomplishments is the significant strides made by Sunway Home Healthcare (SHH) in transforming the care sector.

As part of this initiative, SHH has developed a new website and mobile app to allow easy access of services, fully digitised medical records, and a revamped model for care delivery for patients. This digital initiative received positive feedback from clients, with SHH receiving predominantly 5-star Google reviews from around 286 ratings. 90% of clients surveyed post-service also reported excellent impressions, highlighting professionalism and knowledgeable staff.

SHH has also introduced several new home healthcare services, such as discharge planning hospital rounds, postnatal nursing care and physiotherapy for postpartum mothers, post-operative home rehabilitation programmes, and new wellness programmes. It has also introduced six new clinical protocols to strengthen patient safety and clinician professionalism.

Moreover, the hospital continues to invest in its staff’s career advancement through compulsory competency training and advancement courses like cannulation, infection control, wound dressing, and Basic Life Support, amongst others. This has resulted in around 92% staff retention rate.

These factors led to SHH achieving a 53% growth rate in 2023. It has bagged the Home-care Initiative of the Year - Malaysia for this successful performance. 

“Since its inception in 2003, SHH has grown in popularity and sustainability. Our goals are to provide hospital-quality medical care, foster patient independence at home, and offer a home comprehensive support system,” the group said.

Meanwhile, Sunway’s Fertility Centre has set up a dedicated 24-hour Patient Careline in order to assist patients. This is managed by qualified fertility nurses who are fluent in major languages. They work together with specialists to advise patients on their treatment plans, travel schedules, and any necessary tests.

It has also been utilising its 24-hour Telemedicine Command Centre (TCC) to provide patients with more accessibility in careline services. TCC is a free, in-house online healthcare service in Malaysia handled by trained healthcare personnel. 

Sunway Fertility Centre also collaborated with a leading commercial training provider to launch a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme that is focused on raising awareness of fertility issues amongst corporate clients.

“This allows [us] to provide continuity of care, and guarantees that any modifications to a patient's medical conditions would be promptly diagnosed and closely monitored,” the centre said.

In its efforts to provide support and guidance for patients, the customer service index of Sunway Fertility Centre increased from 87.2% in 2022 to 89.5% in 2023. This has been acknowledged by the awards programme, as it brings home the Customer Service Initiative of the Year - Malaysia category win.

Acknowledging the increasing demand in healthcare

Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City, (SMC) continues to demonstrate its patient-centric approach to healthcare that ensures personalised treatment journey through its extensive list of medical services covering neurosciences to advanced cancer treatments, and clinical research to biomedical technology. It currently has 28 centres of excellence. 

About to reach its 25th year in 2024, SMC is expected to set new standards in the healthcare industry with its over 3,500 healthcare professionals and state-of-the-art facilities. It also has plans on expanding its bed capacity to over 1,000 and opening new towers this year.

SMC has also reached 2,000 robotic surgeries in 2023, highlighted by two surgeons: Dr. Chua Hwa Sen, the first to operate 500 robotic arm-assisted surgeries with Mako SmartRobotics™, and; Dr. Suhail Suresh, the first to perform partial knee replacement surgery using the ROSA Knee System in Southeast Asia.

In 2023, the medical centre also opened the first Children Emergency Department amongst private hospitals in Malaysia, and it leads with 23 paediatric subspecialties. It also features dedicated paediatric wards, PICU, NICU, as well as paediatric radiology and comprehensive paediatrics services with 42 paediatric consultants.

Meanwhile, to further promote health amidst the rise of digital technologies, SMC has employed a holistic approach as part of its marketing initiatives. It has leveraged free social media platforms and has utilised two websites for its Cancer and Eye centres. It has also employed a 360-degree marketing strategy to increase social reach via educational content promoting a healthy lifestyle. 

In the past year, SMC has produced nearly 1,400 articles and generated about RM34 million of PR value. This is higher than all other private hospitals in the country. SMC also organised on-ground events such as carnivals, CSR programmes, health day events, seminars, and symposiums to directly engage with stakeholders. Amongst the events they have held are the Pink October campaign, SunMed carnival, and Diabetic Eye Screening roadshow. 

Aside from these events, the medical centre has also conducted health screenings at around 44 locations, serving over 4,500 people at various locations in Klang Valley & branch offices in East Malaysia.

SMC secured the Hospital of the Year - Malaysia and the Health Promotion Initiative of the Year - Malaysia category wins for its milestones this 2023.

Healthcare Asia Awards recognises exceptional healthcare providers who have redefined the standards of healthcare through their unwavering dedication to innovation, setting new industry benchmarks, and substantial contributions to their communities.

The Healthcare Asia Awards is presented by Healthcare Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be acclaimed for your organisation's remarkable initiatives and contributions to the healthcare industry, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].