Physicians enhance managerial skills
THIRTY-SEVEN healthcare
professionals and leaders from nine countries in Asia Pacific recently attended the inaugural Harvard Medical School Southeast Asia Leadership (HMS-SEAL) programme at Sunway City, Selangor.
Jointly organised by Sunway University, Sunway Medical Centre and Harvard Medical School, this one-year healthcare certificate programme provides training for clinicians who are in transition into administrative management or executive roles.
The programme is also for non-medical personnel and staff who aspire to become directors, executives and administrators.
Sunway University Chancellor Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah said: “Sunway seeks to provide platforms to enhance and enrich healthcare standards in Southeast Asia through training and education.
“The realisation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is not the sole responsibility of governments. It requires the commitment of all sectors of society, including the private sector, academia, civil society groups and, of course, every individual.”
Participants attend three residential workshops in Sunway City, Malaysia and Boston, United States. The workshops focus on hands-on skill development utilising practical exercises and case-based material in management strategy, building effective teams, quality improvement and organisational development.
They are conducted through pre-recorded lectures and interactive webinars on quality standards of care for a healthcare ecosystem. Each workshop is held over a four-day period.
Professor Peh Suat Cheng, director of Sunway Institute for Healthcare Development at Sunway University, said: “The institute is sensitive to the advancement of science and technologies that can enhance the care of patients, and understanding of diseases that lead to better results in treatment and disease prevention.
“It strongly encourages collaborations with well-established and world renown universities and medical schools in doing translational research, as well as in training of healthcare personnel.”
Participant Dr Ashok Krishna Perumal, a B. Braun Medical physician said the mission of Harvard Medical School resonates with him.
“Alleviating human suffering can only be achieved through addressing the objectives of key players in the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry lacks physicians with managerial skills who should work handin-hand with stakeholders across the divide to upscale efficiency and quality of care for patients,” he said.
Another participant, Dr Ng Xun Jin from the Institute for Medical Research in Malaysia, said the workshop has provided him with invaluable
knowledge in leadership, teamwork and data science which creates incremental value to the healthcare industry in the country.
The new intake for the HMS-SEAL programme will start from March 6 to 9 at Sunway University.
For details about the programme and scholarship application, visit https://hms. harvard.edu/departments/southeastasia-healthcare-leadership-program/ admissions.