In recent years, the area of Bukit Jalil has been rapidly developing into a thriving township that could even be considered a ‘second Kuala Lumpur’ as it continues to become a prime location for property, be it business, retail, manufacturing and even healthcare.
Having this in mind, the Columbia Asia group introduced its 18th hospital in the country – the Columbia Asia Hospital – Bukit Jalil (CAH-BKJ), led by Chief Executive Officer Dr Sharonpal Singh (also known as Dr Pal) who started off as a doctor in 2008 and graduated as an emergency physician in 2016.
“(Being an emergency physician) was an interesting experience. There was never a boring day in the emergency department.
“When I started in Columbia Asia, there weren’t many emergency physicians in private hospitals. Besides clinical work, emergency physicians were largely involved in administrative work. As emergency medicine is a new speciality in private, the role of the emergency physician in private practice continues to evolve,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Exchange Asia.
When Dr. Pal joined CA in 2018 as the regional emergency services coordinator, he was put in charge of 11 emergency departments and was responsible for restructuring the operations of emergency services, improving patient flow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and providing training to the medical officers of the hospital.
This visionary healthcare leader brings a unique blend of expertise in emergency medicine, strategic planning and hospital administration, driven by a patient-centric approach that seeks to create an environment that prioritises safety, quality and innovation.
According to Dr Pal, the number of emergency physicians across the country has grown to over 700.
The Challenges of Communication
“Being with Columbia Asia is fulfilling because I get many opportunities to travel, visit other hospitals and meet with other heads of various departments.
“I would say I learned a lot from talking to them and sharing experiences and ideas. When we have intellectual discussions like that, we tend to understand each other’s perspectives,” he added.
However, Dr Pal acknowledged that one of the biggest complaints in the medical industry is rooted in aspects of communication. He said that in certain cases when a piece of information is passed from one person to another, errors tend to happen.
“For medical practitioners, we have to learn how to properly greet and communicate with patients as well. When you are greeted by workers from the hospitality industry, you tend to feel very welcomed, and that’s what I hope the medical industry – and many other industries – will achieve. At CAH-BKJ, we want our patients to feel content coming to our hospital and enjoying the services that we provide.
“In fact, when you look at the healthcare industry, many experienced senior clinicians will tell you that 90% of the illness is cured by reassurance, helping the patients get through their struggles and providing them with confidence that they will get better. Again, it boils down to communication,” he noted.
Growth of Bukit Jalil
When asked the reason Columbia Asia chose Bukit Jalil as the preferred area for its 18th location in Malaysia, Dr Pal said that the decision was made based on the saturation of healthcare organisations and medical centres.
“Around the Bukit Jalil community and the surrounding neighbourhood, there are no other hospital establishments apart from Columbia Asia. The nearest one is Taman Desa Medical Centre, while the nearest public hospitals are Serdang Hospital and Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM).
“Because of this, the CAH-BKJ is able to cater for the communities in Bukit Jalil, Sungai Besi, Serdang, Puchong, Old Klang Road, OUG and Seri Petaling, among others,” Dr Pal explained, adding that the area has a diverse population in terms of economic status and age range – with a significant percentage of the patients being the elderly.
Additionally, Dr Pal noted that the patient inflow of CAH-BKJ has been very promising as it continues to experience growth month-on-month.
Catering to the Community
Dr Pal further elaborated that currently, CAH-BKJ offers 6 core speciality treatments, namely anaesthesia, internal medicine, paediatrics, surgery, orthopaedics as well as obstetrics and gynaecology (Obs & Gynae).
“We are also expecting sub-speciality doctors to be joining us soon for each of the core speciality treatments. Based on the cases that we get here at CAH-BKJ, we will soon diversify our medical specialities according to the patient demographics of the area.
To provide more comprehensive services to the community, CAH-BKJ also delivers services in Ear, Nose &Throat (ENT) and Opthalmology. With an increasing demand in subspecialties, CAH-BKJ provides these specialised services through its resident or visiting doctors such as in medical disciplines namely Nephrology, Neurology, Hand & Microsurgery, Spine Surgery, Foot & Ankle Surgery, Laparoscopic Surgery and Gyne-oncology.
Dr Pal said collaborating with other CA hospitals enhances and complements each others’ specialties and services, like Cardiology. He mentioned that currently, the specialties that are gaining traction, among others, include geriatrics and cardiology.
Digitalisation and Expansion
The hospital is also not lagging behind in the technological aspect as Columbia Asia has adopted the paperless concept for the past 25 years and it stands as one of the first private hospitals in the country to have its own electronic medical records.
According to Dr Pal, the digital records system was developed internally and has been continuously improving over the years as technological advancements evolve.
“We are also moving towards digitalising other aspects of the hospital’s operations and all its processes,” Dr Pal added.
While he hopes that CAH-BKJ will one day be a one-stop centre for anything related to healthcare in the area, Dr Pal acknowledges that it is still quite a journey and achieving this goal will take time. However, he emphasised that it will not be a one-man show.
“I believe in teamwork and I am confident that my managers and the various heads of departments across the board will greatly contribute in shaping the direction of the overall organisation.
“If a leader has a vision, the plan will still not work out if the team does not work together and synergise towards that goal. This is why I have an open-door policy so I’m very open to new ideas and suggestions that could ultimately improve operations so that the hospital will be more effective and efficient,” he said.
In terms of expansion, Dr Pal mentioned that the hospital does have plans to add more patient beds in addition to the current 100 as he hopes that the hospital would have the capacity to cater to more patients without having to sacrifice comfort.
We aim to expand our space, ensuring it is utilised effectively so that patients have ample rooms for proper distribution and treatment.
“Anyone would want their hospital to be considered the best by their patients, but for me, I also want to prioritise on providing quality service and experience, as we are constantly doing everything we can to improve throughout the whole operation. In this, patient feedback would really help us to pinpoint certain areas that require special attention,” Dr Pal concluded.
