THE HEALTH | OCTOBER , 2021

IN LINE WITH its aspiration to be the leading healthcare management platform in the Southeast Asia region , the new healthcare group Aurelius Healthcare Sdn Bhd ( Aurelius ), announced the acquisition of its first hospital ; the 100-bed multidisciplinary Nilai Medical Centre , on Aug 9 .

This acquisition is a strong fit with Aurelius ’ strategy to transform healthcare delivery and to achieve the most favourable outcomes for patients ’ health . Pursuant to the acquisition , Nilai Medical started operating as Aurelius Hospital Nilai in September 2021 and remains ready to serve the community in Nilai and beyond .

The founder and Group Managing Director of Aurelius Healthcare , Dato ’ Amir Firdaus Abdullah , said : “ We are delighted with this acquisition , and with the rebranding of the hospital as Aurelius Hospital Nilai .

“ We aspire for rapid growth and improvements on this excellent hospital with its dedicated doctors and staff . It will continue to serve the communities in Negeri Sembilan , Selangor , and Melaka , and shall be fully transformed for Oncology Care , Cardiology , Women & Children ’ s care , Orthopaedics , and all other clinical specialities of a tertiary hospital for patients at every stage of their life .

“ There are plans to rapidly expand the hospital with an additional in-patient medical block to provide patients and care givers with exceptional care and support .

“ Our commitment is to improve the facilities and services and to always ensure that patients , clinicians , employees , partners , and communities we serve have a great experience and desired clinical outcomes .”

In May 2021 , Navis Capital Partners completed a majority investment into Aurelius Healthcare and is committed to growing the organisation with the aim of having 5-10 hospitals rapidly operating within the platform .

“ Aurelius and Navis have a common vision on how private healthcare could better serve the communities in the region . Through world-class healthcare management practise , engagement with various stakeholders around common goals , integrated care and investments into medical technology , we will make healthcare more accessible for our communities ,” said Edwin Fua , Partner at Navis Capital .

PROTECT YOUR Heart Now , a public awareness campaign on heart health , was launched in conjunction with World Heart Day on Sept 29 by four key industry leaders ; the National Heart Institute ( IJN ), AstraZeneca , DoctorOnCall and Prudential Malaysia .

The collaboration between all four parties is part of their continuous efforts to raise public awareness about noncommunicable diseases ( NCDs ) in the country and push the digitisation of healthcare .

The current pandemic has heightened awareness on Covid- 19 ’ s impact on people with underlying medical illnesses or comorbidities such as coronary artery disease .

It has been found that more than 80 per cent of Covid-19 deaths have at least one underlying health condition

WHEN Covid-19 hit New Zealand in March 2020 , Malaysian-born Alan Chew ( pix ), who is a successful entrepreneur and technocrat in New Zealand , felt compelled to give back to the country that had helped him become who he is .

The 66-year-old , who ’ s educational qualification is in accountancy , has always been a tech geek with deep interest in the history of pandemics and was quick to realise that contact

As one of the top three NCDs in the country , there is a need to raise awareness and educate Malaysians in managing heart health especially since more than 38 per cent of adults in Malaysia suffer from hypercholesterolemia or high cholesterol levels .

It has been found that 25 per cent of adult Malaysians are not even aware they have high cholesterol .

IJN CEO Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim ( pix ) said : “ IJN believes in a preventative and holistic approach to medicine , especially since there are strong links between heart health and overall well-being .

“ As the country ’ s premiere heart centre , we have a responsibility to educate Malaysians on this issue and have been doing so via various educational and awarenessraising initiatives since our inception .

“ Given the prevalence

tracing was vital in any pandemic .

He and his colleague Jeffrey To started to design a prototype Covid- 19 tracing technology with the original idea of using QR codes .

“ We wanted contact tracing to be adopted rapidly ,” he told FMT in a Zoom interview . “ With QR code technology , all that is needed is a piece of paper and a mobile phone .

They designed a prototype of cardiovascular disease in Malaysia , we also greatly welcome this collaboration as well ; we can only tackle this challenge with the support of other stakeholders in the medical sector .”

The key to mitigate the risks of unmanaged cholesterol levels is through early detection , raising awareness and a conscious effort to alleviate any unforeseen circumstances .

Enabling patients to obtain the right care and resources is part of AstraZeneca ’ s long-term commitment in supporting the set-up of a more robust healthcare ecosystem in Malaysia , while reducing the rise of NCDs such as coronary heart disease .

“ At AstraZeneca , we remain committed towards playing a vital role in supporting Malaysia ’ s battle against NCDs by strengthening our healthcare ecosystem with solutions beyond the pill ,” said Dr Sanjeev Panchal , Country President , AstraZeneca Malaysia .

and submitted their paper to the ministry of health , which was accepted after a six-week delay .

Chew did not ask for a single cent as royalty , saying what he and his team did was a form of thanking the country that provided him free top-level education .

The app was then developed and built separately by RUSH Digital . In acknowledgement of Chew ’ s important contribution , the ministry placed a special thanks to him on the app itself .