Name: Dr Hoo Sing Nguang
Position: Founding Director
Company: Kensington Green Specialist Centre (KGSC)
A Founding Director cum shareholder of Kensington Green Specialist Centre (KGSC), Dr Hoo Sing Nguang operates a private O&G consultancy hospital and maternity nursing home at Taman Sentosa, Johor Bahru under Hoo Specialist Maternity and Surgery.
Dr Hoo qualified as a doctor in 1977 and as an O&G specialist in 1984 before establishing Hoo Specialist in 1985. He is a member of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia and the Royal College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists, United Kingdom. Dr Hoo has been providing private specialist gynaecological and maternity care to the community for the last 30 years under Hoo Specialist and as a visiting consultant at Regency Specialist Hospital, Johor.
Recognising the demand for specialist healthcare in Malaysia, ASEAN and regional Asia-Pacific countries, and the positioning by the Malaysian government as a healthcare tourism destination, Dr Hoo embarked on realising his vision in establishing a premier multi-disciplinary specialist healthcare hospital to provide quality and affordable healthcare to Malaysians and healthcare tourists.
Tell us more about Kensington Green Specialist Centre (KGSC) and its unique selling points?
Kensington Green Specialist Centre (KGSC) is a multi-disciplinary private specialist hospital in Iskandar Puteri. We are a purpose-built hospital, fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment. We offer a range of medical disciplines ranging from general medicine, paediatrics to surgery and orthopaedics. Our consultant specialists have subspecialty interest including neonatology, respiratory medicine, hand microsurgery, advanced minimal access surgery and IVF.
KGSC is unique in a few ways whereby we are dedicated in providing a compassionate, patient centred excellent healthcare in our spacious and comfortable clinical environment that we believe helps take away the usual clinical apprehension.
Our emphasis is on preventative medicine and health screening and we believe that through public education of healthy living, management of chronic diseases, screening to diagnose and treat early disease is the safest and most cost effective healthcare.
Apart from our use of the latest medical equipment, we operate a paperless hospital information/ management system. This allows us the opportunity to continuously monitor and improve our patient care.
Last but not the least; we are proud of our hospital’s state of the art fertility or IVF Centre where we offer a complete range of fertility diagnostics and treatments. Our fertility unit is one of the largest in the southern region and a Consultant Specialist from King’s College London Hospital heads the unit.
What is the most important element in running a hospital?
I have mentioned about the importance of patient satisfaction as a crucial element. However, equally important for a new hospital like KGSC, is the ability of each member of our staff to work as a team to build on the trust of our community and the public perception of our hospital.
How do you manage expectations from patients? Private VS GH
I do not believe in managing patients differently either in private or GH. I believe that every patient has the same expectation when encountering health care. When they meet a doctor, they expect a responsible and capable doctor who is able to provide the best evidence based advice. When they meet a nurse, they expect a compassionate and supportive nurse. With supportive staff, they expect a friendly and helpful person, especially when placed in an unfamiliar environment.
What are the CSR activities that will be conducted by KGSC?
For the general public, KGSC has been involved in blood donation campaigns, free public education and free health checks.
For medical professionals, our consultant specialists will be engaging GPs and other specialist through Continuous Professional Development (CPD) sessions or educational talks.
From your experience and based on current trends, what advice can you give to aspiring doctors?
My advice for aspiring doctors is that you will need to work very hard if you want to be a good doctor as there is continuous learning and professional development. The biggest challenge I find for future doctors is finding the best or the right training opportunities to achieve their desired skills.
Having experience in O&G, what is your take on alternative methods and medicine?
Having been trained in western medicine, I know too well that even western medicine is not perfect. Western medicine excels in being systematic and evidence based, however, there is still no answer to a lot of medical conditions. In a condition such as cancer, the current management still attempts to either surgically remove or irradiate the disease. But what is the way to stop cancer development? In Chinese medicine, they talk about the yin yang or the balance the body. I feel alternative medicine can be complementary to western medicine in this aspect.
We try to promote the same through healthy living lifestyle such as not smoking, not drinking, having more fibre in our diets, lower salt contents, regular exercises and emotional well-being. All of these are to achieve a greater well-being and boost our body’s immunity.
On a personal note, why did you become a doctor?
I was born in JB born from a simple family. My mother delivered me in her own home and managed her own delivery. My father passed away when I was only 13 years old, during the first term of my secondary school. He was 53 at that time. In hindsight, I suspect that he died of a stroke cause by an untreated hypertension or high blood pressure. This was the turning point in my life that I decided to pursue a career in medicine.
With the support of my family, I was able to complete my basic medical education in Taiwan.
Upon graduation, I returned to Malaysia and served the public at Hospital Sultanah Aminah for 10 years, before proceeding to UK for my second degree as an O&G Specialist. I started my solo private practice in 1985 with a maternity home in JB.
Through my team of specialist consultants and medical officers, I am trying to make sure that my community has access to excellent healthcare.
If you had not pursued medicine, what would you be doing now?
I have a curious or diagnostic mind, but I also enjoy looking after animals and learning about nature. My mother has always wanted me to be a vet when I was growing up. Personally, I have completed courses in Gemology too, so perhaps I might have ended up in either of these two professions!
What do you do in your free time?
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and cooking for them. Something simple such as going to the market, sieving through the produce and picking my own ingredients helps me to unwind from work. Music is another way I find relaxation. For exercise, I enjoy long walks, cycling and swimming. I did try to pick up golf but I soon realised that nobody wants to play a round of golf with me because I would often get interrupted as an O&G doctor.
