Raffles Medical partners Chongqing hospital to strengthen healthcare services
In a press statement on Tuesday (Jun 10), Raffles Medical said that the aim is to combine international expertise with local strengths and enhance the overall medical service capabilities of Chongqing.
The group said it will work with the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Municipality at the institutional, hospital and disciplinary levels.
Under the partnership, a new healthcare collaboration ecosystem focused on value co-creation and complementary strengths will be established. For instance, the two parties will engage in reciprocal visits and exchanges for medical, nursing, technical, pharmaceutical and administrative personnel.
They will also explore new models of cooperation such as dual-appointment talent systems, artificial intelligence applications, and alignment with international medical standards.
'These initiatives will inject quality-driven productivity into the sustainable development of both institutions and regional healthcare,' said the group.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Sign Up
Sign Up
Additionally, a new medical consortium will be introduced to facilitate the flow of medical resources. It will involve multidisciplinary collaboration, talent exchange and training, equipment sharing, and two-year referral mechanisms between the two.
Top expert teams from both hospitals will also convene for academic exchanges and consultations of complex cases, among others, to advance disciplinary development, said Raffles Medical.
'Chongqing Model'
The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Municipality is a top-tier tertiary Class-A teaching hospital in China, it added.
Raffles Medical's partnership with the hospital will offer a 'Chongqing Model' for international medical cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, noted Dr Loo Choon Yong, the group's executive chairman. The initiative – previously known as China's One Belt, One Road – is the East Asian giant's global economic plan to create regional connectivity through infrastructure development and promote world trade and economic growth.
This will further consolidate Chongqing's status as an international medical hub city, said Dr Loo.
Shares of Raffles Medical closed at S$0.975 on Tuesday, down 1 per cent or S$0.01, before the announcement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
Indonesia's 2026 budget designed to make the country strong, President Prabowo says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said efficiency measures would be needed to reduce the country's budget deficit. JAKARTA – Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto on Aug 1 5 said his budget for 2026 would be designed to ensure the South-east Asian country was strong, independent and prosperous, as he delivered his first speech on fiscal policy to parliament. The budget proposal is the first developed by Mr Prabowo's administration after he took office in October 2024 . The 2025 budget was prepared by his predecessor, Mr Joko Widodo. Mr Prabowo has pledged to lift spending as he seeks to raise economic growth to 8 per cent during his five-year term and deliver on his campaign platform of improving welfare and achieving food and energy self-sufficiency. In his address, Mr Prabowo said the 2026 budget deficit was seen at 2.48 per cent of gross domestic product. He said efficiency measures would need to be taken to reduce the gap and vowed to have no deficit by 2027 or 2028. For 2026, he proposed to spend 335 trillion rupiah ( S$26.3 billion ) on his flagship programme to deliver free meals to 82.9 million students, children and pregnant women. Mr Prabowo allotted 171 trillion rupiah for the free meals programme this year, which he said has reached about 20 million recipients. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Asia Sun Haiyan, ex-China ambassador to S'pore, detained for questioning: Sources Life Online travel agencies Klook and make debut in Natas Travel Fair Singapore Jail for drink-driving cop in hit-and-run accident, victim suffered multiple fractures Life How do household bomb shelters in Singapore really work? Life Blank canvas: JTC offers black-and-white bungalows for lease at Rochester Park He also promised budgetary support to decarbonise Indonesia's electricity, saying he wanted the country to use 100 per cent renewable power sources in the next ten years or earlier. Indonesia currently relies on coal for over half of power generation. In his address, Mr Prabowo, a former defence minister and special forces commander, also said Indonesia must modernise its military hardware, adding his country had rare earths deposits that were vital to modern defence. REUTERS
Business Times
a day ago
- Business Times
Malaysia growth misses estimates even before Trump tariffs hit
[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's growth missed official estimates in the second quarter, though the central bank said the economy is strong enough to weather the impact of US tariffs. Gross domestic product rose 4.4 per cent in the April-June period from a year earlier, slower than the 4.5 per cent advance estimate and the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey, but matching the pace of the first quarter. The economy expanded 2.1 per cent from the previous three months, Malaysia's central bank and statistics department said on Friday (Aug 15). Malaysia is bracing for trade turmoil from US President Donald Trump's rollout of global tariffs, with the central bank last month lowering its 2025 growth forecast range to 4 per cent to 4.8 per cent, from an earlier projection of a 4.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent expansion. Malaysia's Finance Ministry has separately said the economy will grow at a moderate pace in 2026 amid subdued external demand. 'Let me emphasise that our economy remains on a strong footing,' Bank Negara Malaysia governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour said at a briefing in Kuala Lumpur, noting a recent interest rate cut will provide 'additional lift.' Monetary policy is now 'consistent with our outlook for growth and inflation,' he said. Global growth and trade will likely moderate this year as a 19 per cent tariff on exports to the US takes effect and support from frontloading dissipates, according to the central bank. Malaysia's exports will slow the rest of 2025, while being partly cushioned by continued demand for technology products and higher tourism activity, Rasheed said. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Traders are pricing in a 20 per cent chance of a 25-basis-point rate cut within the next three months, and an almost 70 per cent probability by mid-February, according to swaps data compiled by Bloomberg before the announcement. In July, the central bank cut its overnight policy rate (OPR) for the first time in five years to help address risks to the economy. It also released more funds into the banking system to encourage lending and help boost economic activity. 'We will continue to monitor the effect of the OPR reduction to the economy,' Rasheed said. Consumer spending will remain resilient and continue to anchor growth, the central bank said. Investments will also remain strong, it added. Inflation is expected to average between 1.5 per cent and 2.3 per cent in 2025 given the 'more moderate demand and cost outlook,' Bank Negara said. It will 'continue to remain vigilant to ongoing developments and assess the balance of risks surrounding the outlook for domestic growth and inflation.' While the US levy on Malaysian imports is lower than the 25 per cent threatened in July, the South-east Asian country is seeking further clarity from the US on a threatened 100 per cent levy on semiconductor imports. On the fiscal side, the government has tweaked plans to cut subsidies on the nation's most popular fuel, while also providing cash handouts. Its latest five-year plan also outlines around US$100 billion of development spending, even as it seeks to reduce the deficit. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Thai princess being treated for severe infection, royal bureau says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Doctors treating the 46-year-old princess detected an infection in her bloodstream on Aug 9. BANGKOK – Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, who has been unconscious for nearly three years after collapsing due to a heart condition, is now being treated for a severe infection, the Bureau of the Royal Household said. Doctors treating the 46-year-old princess, the oldest of King Maha Vajiralongkorn's seven children, detected an infection in her bloodstream on Aug 9, the bureau said in a statement on Aug 15. She's been administered different types of antibiotics and other medication to stabilise her blood pressure levels, it said. The medical team at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok continues to provide full care and is closely monitoring the princess's condition, the bureau said. She was seen by some analysts as a potential heir to the throne, which would make her the first female monarch of Thailand. King Vajiralongkorn, 73, has not appointed an heir since taking the throne in 2016. The princess has been put on medical equipment to support the functions of her lungs and kidneys since her collapse in December 2022, according to the bureau. Doctors have occasionally detected infections, for which antibiotics have periodically been administered, the palace said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k for abetting former minister Iswaran in obstructing course of justice Life How do household bomb shelters in Singapore really work? Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT line resumes full service 4 hours after power fault halts trains Asia Johor authorities seize four Singapore-registered vehicles over illegal e-hailing Singapore Owners call for stronger management rules in ageing condos, but seek to avoid being overburdened Asia Japan's PM Ishiba mentions wartime 'regret', toeing right-wing line Since she became ill, the princess' portraits have been shown in public places in the South-east Asian nation, with messages wishing her a speedy recovery. Princess Bajrakitiyabha, who has a law degree from Cornell University, served as a diplomat to Austria and held roles at UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. She has also served in the Attorney-General's Office and holds the rank of general in the king's Royal Security Command unit. Bloomberg
