Keppel FMO, Alexandra Hospital and SGP International Management Academy form healthcare management consortium which is supported under IE Singapore’s iPartners Programme.

1. Keppel FMO, one of the largest facilities management service providers in Singapore, will head a consortium comprising Alexandra Hospital and SGP International Management Academy (SIMA) to provide facilities management, healthcare and hospital management and consultancy, as well as healthcare personnel training services in China.

2. This healthcare management consortium is the first healthcare related alliance supported by IE Singapore’s International Partners (iPartners) Programme. Members of the alliance possess complementary expertise and experiences which will stand them in good stead as they venture into the huge market of hospital management in China.

3. In conjunction with the 11th Singapore-Shandong Business Council Meeting held today, two members of the alliance, Keppel FMO and SIMA, signed a joint venture agreement with Linyi People’s Hospital and Soullon Information Technology to provide facilities management, healthcare management and consultancy and healthcare personnel training services to Linyi People’s Hospital in Shandong, China. The third alliance member, Alexandra Hospital, will be offering its expertise on healthcare management to the consortium.

4. Mr Goh Hai Kok, General Manager of Keppel FMO, said “With increasing affluence and rising standard of living, the demand for quality medical services in China has risen significantly over the years. For a start, we will provide our expertise to Linyi People’s Hospital in Shandong province. Thereafter, the consortium will seek opportunities in other hospitals in the province before extending our services to the rest of China.”

5. Mrs Tan Li Lin, Director of Lifestyle and Business Services, IE Singapore, said,” While each alliance member is already strong on its own, by banding together, they are able to aggregate their core competencies to offer a integrated suite of services to healthcare providers in China. This will put the alliance in a stronger competitive position to secure projects that they would not be able to on their own.”

Overview of the Singapore Hospital Management Consortium

6. Keppel FMO will be lending its international experience and 20-year record in facilities management to the alliance. In Singapore, Keppel FMO has been providing facilities management services to most of the hospitals in Singapore, especially those under the Singhealth Group. In China, Keppel FMO is providing critical facilities management for projects in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Guangzhou.

7. Alexandra Hospital will be providing Hospital Management and Consultancy. Alexandra Hospital has been sharing the ‘Singapore Experience and Model of Healthcare Management’ through seminars organised by hospital groups and China’s Ministry of Health to more than 1500 visitors from China. Alexandra Hospital’s knowledge and experience in best-practises will be a valuable strength to the consortium.

8. SGP International Management Academy (SIMA) has accumulated many years of experience in Mandarin-based training to hospital staff in China. SIMA is well-positioned to assist the alliance in conducting in-house training for hospital staff, administrators and support personnel.

Overview of China’s healthcare market

9. With an increasingly affluent population of over a billion, demand for quality medical services in China has grown tremendously over the years. Presently, there are over 18,000 hospitals in China, creating demand and vast opportunities for facilities management, healthcare and hospital management and consultancy, and healthcare personnel training. These are areas that Singapore’s healthcare players have developed strong expertise in, as evident in Singapore’s highly regarded healthcare system.

10. As a start, the consortium will focus on identifying opportunities in Shandong province as Alexandra Hospital and SIMA have established relationships with Shandong’s healthcare players, having worked with a number of them over the last few years. The consortium has already identified more than 30 hospitals out of more than 1000 hospitals in Shandong with which it will explore collaborative opportunities.

About the International Partners (iPartners) Programme

11. With the formation of this healthcare management consortium, the number of iPartners consortiums supported by IE Singapore has grown to 21. These 21 alliances will benefit 107 Singapore-based companies and are projected to achieve over S$1 billion in overseas sales. The supported projects are from diverse industries including airport services, building and infrastructure services, exhibition and conference, food services, healthcare, info-comms technology, and logistics. Their key target markets are Asia Pacific region, greater China, and the Middle East.

12. To encourage Singapore-based companies to band together when venturing abroad, IE Singapore launched the International Partners (iPartners) Programme in October 2003. The iPartners Programme is an initiative that catalyses the formation of international alliances between Singapore-based companies. By banding together while abroad, our companies can combine their resources, complement each other's product offerings and pursue bigger projects. These will sharpen companies' competitiveness and maximise their chances of overseas success.

About International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore)
(Note to Editor: Please use "IE Singapore" or "IE" if an acronym for "International Enterprise Singapore" is required.)

International Enterprise (IE) Singapore is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry spearheading Singapore's efforts to develop its external economic wing. We were formerly known as the Singapore Trade Development Board.

Our mission is to help Singapore-based companies grow and internationalise successfully. We offer a wide range of services in over 35 locations worldwide by using a "3C" framework of assistance - Competency, Connections and Capital. We provide market information and assist enterprises to export, develop their business capabilities, and find overseas partners. At the same time, IE Singapore works to position Singapore as a base for foreign businesses to expand into the region in partnership with Singapore-based companies.

Please visit www.iesingapore.com for more information.

About Keppel FMO Pte Ltd
A wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Integrated Engineering, Keppel FMO has an impressive track record of providing facilities management and operation services to aviation facilities, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, manufacturing plants, hi-tech parks, as well as commercial and purpose-built buildings in Singapore and abroad.

In Singapore, Keppel FMO’s clients in the healthcare sector include Alexandra Hospital, Changi General Hospital, National University Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Institute of Mental Health and Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital.

About Alexandra Hospital
Nestled in the central-western area of Singapore, Alexandra Hospital (AH) is a 400-bed general and acute care hospital, offering our patients the very best personalised care in a tranquil and healing environment. We provide specialist (medical and paramedical services) care and consultation services in the treatment of various diseases and illnesses. Patients are our priorities. We have set up an environment of patient-centered nursing care and have put systems in place to ensure excellent quality of service. At Alexandra Hospital, we also believe not only in treating illnesses but also in preventing them. Our prescription on health is to prevent illnesses through public education and health screenings and to treat any illness in a holistic manner to the best of our ability in quality care.

We will be relocating to a new 550-bed hospital in northern part of Singapore in 2009. The new hospital will harness the full potential of IT to provide better, faster, cheaper and safer healthcare.

More information is available at: http://www.alexhosp.com.sg/.

About SGP International Management Academy (SIMA)
The SGP International Management Academy (SIMA) is a private management education and training institution registered with the Ministry of Education in Singapore. SIMA is headed by Professor Yeong Wee Yong, former Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration, National University of Singapore.

SIMA positions itself as a high quality private educational service provider that offers customer-focused programmes of current interest to the business community.

SIMA provides a spectrum of academic and executive programmes with an aim to help its customers build competitive strengths and niches in today’s knowledge based economy.

For further information, please contact

IE Singapore
Ms Ong Wah Hui
Assistant Manager
Corporate Communications Group
Tel: 6433 4942, Fax: 6337 8136
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Keppel FMO
Teo Chang Ching
Senior Executive
Group Corporate Communications
Tel: (65) 64136426
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Alexandra Hospital
Nur Diana Jamaludin
DID: 6379 3554 HP: 91475140
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SGP International Management Academy (SIMA)
Hou Jing
Tel: 6773 8796 Fax: 67738792
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