Private hospitals target Southeast Asia's middle class
12-Mar-17, Nikkei Asian Review
For middle-class Southeast Asians, medical care has meant choosing between costly high-grade private hospitals or cheap but ineffective public ones. Now a middle ground has formed.
%20Nikkei%20Asian%20Review.jpg "Private hospitals target Southeast Asias middle class (c) Nikkei Asian Review")
Image: Nikkei Asian Review
Private health care institutions popping up throughout emerging economies in the region are cutting costs to offer high-quality care at 50-70% the price of the large-scale private hospitals that typically target wealthy patients.
QualiMed in the Philippines has kept labor costs down by hiring young doctors who cannot afford a hospital space. The company overhauled inefficient business practices to control prices without sacrificing quality of care, CEO Edwin Mercado said.
Columbia Asia keeps operating costs low by focusing on high-demand fields including internal medicine, pediatrics and orthopedics. When medical specialists are needed, the company recommends other hospitals.