Columbia Asia opens its fifth hospital in Malaysia

Oct. 16, 2008 - Columbia Asia, the international healthcare provider, today officially opened its fifth hospital in Malaysia, located in Taiping, Perak.

The company operates a chain of modern hospitals designed to serve the growing middle-income groups in Asia. The 82-bed facility in Taiping joins four other Columbia Asia hospitals in Malaysia, in Miri, Seremban, Shah Alam and Puchong.

The company, which opened its first hospital in 1994, has 13 hospitals overall and is undergoing a major expansion. Upon completion Columbia Asia will have 21 hospitals and an airport clinic in India, 11 hospitals in Malaysia, three hospitals in Vietnam and three hospitals in Indonesia.

To stand out in the booming Asian healthcare market, the company offers a unique design: full-service hospitals built in neighborhoods, rather than the central city.

Patients are met with highly trained and culturally sensitive staff, advanced technology and the full range of hospital services. With efficient administration and fewer beds, the hospitals have an average patient stay of just two days.

The Taiping hospital has three state-of-the-art operating theatres, a modern medical laboratory, full radiology facilities and the computerized operating systems found in all Columbia Asia hospitals.

When fully operational, the hospital will be staffed by 18 medical specialists, eight medical officers, more than 150 nursing and paramedical staff, as well as visiting consultants with specialty skills.

Columbia Asia seeks to be the preferred healthcare choice for insurance companies, employers and families. In Malaysia, more than 60 percent of Columbia Asia's revenues are received from third-party payers, a percentage the "company believes will only increase," said Kelvin Tan, Columbia Asia CEO.

In Malaysia, Columbia Asia is 30 percent owned by the Employee Provident Fund, and 70 percent owned by Columbia Asia Healthcare Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian company with subsidiaries in Vietnam, India and in Indonesia. Each of the subsidiaries also operate under the trade name "Columbia Asia."