Companies

Malaysia health firm opens Sh250m Parklands clinic

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Park Place building in Parklands. It will house the Sh250 million clinic. PHOTO | FILE

Kuala Lumpur-based healthcare services firm Columbia Asia will on Tuesday open a Sh250 million clinic and diagnostic centre in Parklands, Nairobi, targeting the rising number of patients seeking specialised treatment abroad.

Located at Park Place, the facility offers health checks and tele-medicine services by allowing patients to consult with specialised doctors in Asia at a flat fee of Sh3,000.

The remote diagnostic services will save patients travel and accommodation costs they would otherwise incur by flying to the top medical destinations abroad for check-ups.

“The … health facility will act as a multispecialty clinic and diagnostic center offering evidence-based medicine in an efficient, effective and caring environment to the Kenyan population,” the company said in a statement.

Besides telemedicine, the facility has a pharmacy and offers other services like radiology and cardiology.

Establishment of the Nairobi unit is part of Columbia’s plan to expand in Africa through a chain of healthcare facilities falling under the Columbia Africa brand.

Columbia Asia, majority owned by US-based private equity fund Columbia USA LLC, runs 28 medical facilities across Asia including 11 in India.
The company builds mid-sized hospitals in residential areas to enhance access and keep costs down.

READ: Top Asian hospital eyes Africa with Nairobi headquarters

The chain of healthcare facilities offers a range of medical services such as general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics & gynaecology and orthopaedics.

Columbia joins the list of medical consultancy firms offering diagnostic and other services to patients seeking treatment in Asian hospitals.

Chennai-based FrontEnders in 2013 opened an office in Nairobi offering diagnostic and logistical support to patients seeking treatment at top Indian hospitals for chronic diseases such as cancer.

The firm said it was targeting the growing medical tourism that has seen India emerge as a favourite destination for patients from Kenyan and other Afican countries seeking cost-effective healthcare.

Some of the specific services offered by FrontEnders include medical diagnosis, travel arrangement, cost estimation of anticipated treatment and booking of hotels or service apartments.

India’s large pool of doctors and hospitals offering low-cost treatment of cancer, high blood pressure, and other chronic ailments has attracted thousands of patients from Kenya and elsewhere.

The country is estimated to have more than half a million doctors and 700,000 nurses, with its hospitals able to offer surgical procedures at one-tenth the cost of its peers in developed countries.