Serious Parkway healthcare to lugi big time in Myanmar soon

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Myanmar moves to suspend controversial private hospital project
May 12, 2016 3:20 pm
Yangon - The Myanmar parliament Thursday announced that the new government was suspending a plan to lease a prime location in Yangon to a foreign private healthcare group, after widespread protests from the medical establishment, state-run media reported.
The 1.7-hectare plot near the public Yangon General Hospital was to be leased to Malaysian healthcare group IHH to build a 250-bedprivate facility, under the agreement struck by the previous, military-appointed government.

The deal was slammed by medical professionals, who said the Health Ministry-owned land should be used to expand the public hospital instead, and brought a petition against the project in January.

Lower house Speaker Mann Win Khain Than said Thursday the proposal to cancel the project was approved, adding that Health Minister Myint Htwe has told parliament the lease to IHH would not improve the healthcare services available to the wider public.

"The land plot is reserved for the further extension of Yangon General Hospital," Myint Htwe was quoted as saying.

The suspension of the plan was yet to be formally announced by the government.

IHH had planned to invest 70 million dollars in the Parkway Yangon private hospital through its wholly-owned subsidiary Parkway Healthcare Indo-China Pte Ltd.

Myanmar saw its first elected government take power in more than 50years in January, completing a transition from military rule that started in 2011.

The country’s greater openness to investment since then has already brought strong economic growth, with the healthcare sector alone growing from 704 million dollars in 2010 to 2 billion dollars in the fiscal year to March 2016, according to research firm Solidiance.

- DPA

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/bre...spend-controversial-private-hos-30285786.html

 

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IHH Group’s $70m Parkway Hospital project in Myanmar hits roadblock 0 3 0 0 WhatsApp Email Subscribe to our newsletter. 15_01_15_025915 Juliet Shwe Gaung

[email protected] May 13, 2016:

Singapore and Malaysia-based IHH Group‘s foray into Myanmar has hit a stumbling block with the country’s Parliament putting a spanner on the healthcare major’s first project – a $70-million Parkway Yangon Hospital – which was to be built on government land in Yangon. Myanmar health minister Dr Myint Htwe agreed that the Parkway Yangon’s project on the current land should be stopped when the proposal was discussed in the lower house of parliament on Thursday, said Member of parliament Daw Khin San Hlaing.

The minister said, the previous government’s decision to allow a private hospital to lease land owned by the ministry of health is inappropriate. “Allowing a private hospital to invest on the plot should not be approved,” explained Hlaing of Pearl constituency of Sagaing region to DEALSTREETASIA.

The MP said, a different space or land should have been selected for this investment by IHH. “For this specific space, we hope that it would be more beneficial to build an institution that could contribute the most for the people,” said Hlaling. The proposed 250-bed hospital, which is very close to the Yangon General Hospital, was approved for investment by the previous government. The project was to come up on a 4.5-acre government land in downtown Yangon, with a lease period of 50 years.

The build-operate-transfer agreement for the hospital project was formalised in January 2016 and all the contractual obligations to date have been fulfilled, said Dr Lee Hong Huei, head of Southeast Asia of Parkway Pantai, one of the region’s largest integrated private healthcare groups with a network of 22 hospitals and owned by IHH group.

The project was to be developed and operated by a joint venture consortium Andaman Alliance Healthcare Limited – comprising of Parkway Healthcare Indo-China Pte Ltd with a 52 per cent stake, Singapore’s Macondray Holdings Pte Ltd with 10.5 per cent, Myanmar incorporated AMMK Medicare Co Ltd and Global Star Co Ltd with 21.5 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

Parkway has not yet been approached on this issue by the Myanmar government. Huei maintained that Parkway’s investment in the country will level up the medical hub status of Yangon creating jobs and economic benefits. “Our intent is to work effectively with the local medical fraternity to elevate healthcare service standards through training, as well as knowledge and technology transfers,” said Huei. Parliament is expected to see more discussions foreign and domestic business investments that were not approved by the previous government in a “transparent manner.”

According to U Aye Thaung, chairman of Shwe Linban Industrial Zone, instead of judging the so called “not transparent” projects, it would be better to focus on the impact these projects and the related government action could have on the country. For future investments, it is best to be transparent since day one with stakeholders before approving an investment, he said, adding, “from the investor viewpoint, time and effort is spent.”

“There are also many projects that are stalled after getting a permission. These should be prioritized instead of halting projects that are ongoing,” he said. On the other hand, approving an investment should be done only after thorough due diligence as policy flip-flops may harm future foreign investments into Myanmar.

Read more at: http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/ihh-groups-hospital-investment-halted-by-the-parliament-40766/

 

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Indonesia shuts down Parkway event over alleged illegal healthcare consultancies
Published
Apr 10, 2016, 8:41 pm SGT
Francis Chan
Indonesia Bureau Chief

JAKARTA - Local health authorities on Saturday (April 9) shut down an event in Jakarta held by Parkway Hospitals Singapore, accusing organisers of conducting illegal healthcare consultancies with Indonesian patients.

Parkway, however, has denied any wrongdoing, saying the event was a private networking luncheon it had organised for doctors from Indonesia. These include those who had previously attended its medical seminars in Singapore.

"Attendance was for doctors and by invitation only, and there were no patients or members of the public in the ballroom," said a Parkway spokesman responding to queries from The Straits Times on Sunday (April 10).

"No patient consultations took place during the event."

Ms Maria Margaretha, the head of healthcare services at the Jakarta Health Agency who led the joint operation, said the bust was the result of a tip-off from the Ikatan Dokter Indonesia (IDI), or Indonesian Doctors Association.

"We received a report from the Indonesian Doctors Association that there was an illegal healthcare consultancy," said Ms Maria in a report out in Tempo news on Sunday.

She added that organisers of the so-called seminar, held at Pullman Hotel in the capital, did not possess the proper permits from the Health Ministry and her agency.

"We wouldn't consider this as an issue if it was in accordance with regulations," said Ms Maria.

Officials from the Jakarta Health Agency and Indonesia's Health Ministry, as well as a team of immigration and police officers, arrived at the hotel at about 2pm on Saturday.

According to a report in Kompas news, the immigration department does not intend to take any further action in relation to the raid, but officials had apparently encountered a patient with his or her past medical report and X-ray films at the event.


http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se...over-alleged-illegal-healthcare-consultancies