Meet the Singaporean doctor helping businesses navigate the pandemic
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Encounter the Singaporean md helping businesses navigate the pandemic
As medical manager for International SOS, Dr Low Kiang Wei and his team have spent the by few months working tirelessly with organisations to develop or optimise business continuity plans.
Dr Low Kiang Wei, 36, is the medical director for International SOS. (Photo: International SOS)
06 Aug 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 05 Jul 2022 01:30AM)
Being in the business organisation of saving lives – anytime and anywhere, Dr Depression Kiang Wei is no stranger to navigating the man and concern impact of deadly pathogens, such as the Zika virus, dengue, and bird flu.
The 36-year-old Singaporean serves every bit medical director for International SOS, a global medical and security risk management company that provides real-time support and assist from over i,000 locations in 90 countries.
But while communicable disease experts had previously warned of a global pandemic prior to COVID-19, Dr Low, like many of his peers in the medical field, was surprised by the extent in which the coronavirus has wreaked havoc on lives and businesses around the earth.
At the time of writing, the spread of COVID-19 shows no signs of abating.
Globe Health Organization figures show that the virus has infected more than 18 million people globally, killing about 700,000. Meanwhile, governments and businesses are having to make complex decisions nearly adapting to a new normal while living with the virus.
In a phone interview with CNA Luxury, Dr Depression said, "Inside the medical community, it has e'er been at the dorsum of our minds that a pandemic is around the corner and that it may bear upon commercial operations."
"Back in February, I was expecting that (COVID-19) would be controlled a lot sooner, given the measures that governments were taking. Simply I, also as many medical professionals, take been proven incorrect. This is truly unprecedented, and this is now everyone's problem at this point in time," he added.
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DEVELOPING AND OPTIMISING Business concern CONTINUITY PLANS
Since the novel coronavirus emerged before this year, Dr Low and his colleagues at International SOS take had their piece of work cut out for them.
Dr Depression's job responsibilities involve the clinical governance of medical services projects under the Singapore partitioning.
He also handles the ongoing advances in digital projects in Asia, including telehealth and medical technology solutions, which have emerged equally important tools in delivering healthcare amid safe distancing measures.
Over the past few months, he and his team have worked with organisations to develop or optimise concern continuity plans.
They accept also helped developed return-to-work and return-to-travel polices and processes, tailoring them based on each client's unique take chances profile and in accordance with local laws and requirements.
"The ever-evolving nature of COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many businesses off-balance, disrupting business organization operations, affecting the mental well-being of employees and causing huge uncertainty and anxiety for both business organization leaders and employees. Even in the early stages, around end-January, we've had a number of Singapore and regional companies coming to the states looking at pandemic preparedness plans," said Dr Low, adding that engagement levels have since "gone through the roof".
On the essential business travel forepart, Dr Low said International SOS has partnered the International Sleeping accommodation of Commerce to launch a mobile app called ICC AOKpass.
The app verifies users of their COVID-19 compliance status, then that employees and businesses tin take a safer, more efficient and controlled path to resume work, he added.
Underlying the bespoke organisation-level advice is around-the-clock telehealth access to businesses using its services. Dr Low said this 24/7 back up allows employees to access tactical advice for health and security concerns, seek tele-consultation and remote counselling, no matter when information technology is and where they are.
"Access to security advice and help cannot be neglected as this pandemic has led to 2d- and tertiary-order security incidents like xenophobic attacks, social unrest or wider political instability in some locations. And when needed, we take boots on the basis to provide urgent on-the-ground assist to employees too," he added.
"The ever-evolving nature of COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many businesses off-balance, disrupting business operations, affecting the mental well-beingness of employees and causing huge uncertainty and feet for both business leaders and employees." – Dr Low Kiang Wei
MEDICAL EVACUATIONS AMID COVID-19
Part of Dr Low'due south piece of work also involve coordinating medical evacuations, which have taken on a whole new level of complication amongst the pandemic.
This may be done via commercial flights or air ambulances, which serve as "intensive care units (ICUs) in the sky". Air ambulances are suited up with equipment that are bachelor in an ICU, in a mobile format, and are suitable for circuitous medical evacuations, Dr Low said.
According to him, International SOS has performed over 250 air ambulance movements for patients, including COVID-xix cases, since the start of the pandemic.
Amid them was a successful evacuation of a 42-year-sometime Singaporean woman with Stage 4 breast cancer in May during the height of the pandemic. She was diagnosed while in the United States.
"As commercial flights were cancelled during the pandemic, she was evacuated by air ambulance as she needed to be transported in a fast and safe style," Dr Low said.
"We likewise had to ensure that her condition had stabilised before she boarded the aeroplane, given the physiological strain of air travel. Throughout the journey, she was accompanied past medically-trained staff and was safely transported to a hospital upon arrival."
While medical evacuations have never been elementary, Dr Depression said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional challenges and complexities: A uncomplicated evacuation that could be done in hours tin can now stretch to days.
"One major challenge are international border restrictions. With many countries still shutting their borders, our usual evacuation pathways may not exist bachelor. This means we take less options available when evacuating patients to the closest appropriate location with the necessary standard of medical care," he shared.
Further complicating matters at this betoken in time are limited commercial flights options, which exercise non offer the time flexibility necessary for critical medical evacuations, Dr Depression said.
"To this finish, we are in continuous close contact with local wellness authorities and relevant aviation regime to coordinate medical evacuations during this time," he added.
WHY MENTAL HEALTH Support IS KEY
Even as organisations and employees navigate uncertainty while maintaining lesser lines amidst COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Depression believes that mental wellness back up should be a key consideration in business resilience.
Citing International SOS' Return to Work survey, where ane in five Singapore respondents reporting business organization about the bear on of mental wellness problems on their business operations in the next 12 months, Dr Low said, "Now more than ever, with working from home being the new norm for a majority of the workforce, companies demand to build a culture where employees feel their wellbeing is cardinal priority."
A fashion to practice this is to provide employees with access to mental wellness back up and foster regular and meaningful dialogues, he said.
"At present more than than ever, with working from home being the new norm for a majority of the workforce, companies need to build a culture where employees feel their wellbeing is key priority." – Dr Low Kiang Wei
Maintaining good mental health is also currently at the pinnacle on Dr Low's personal priorities.
With his work at International SOS, Dr Low has experienced COVID-19 beyond a very wide spectrum, from working with isolation facilities to handling medical evacuations. Like many healthcare staff, he was concerned nigh the impact that piece of work might have on his family, particularly his ageing parents.
"I didn't visit my parents for months when I was working in the isolation facility," he said.
Work life has also changed drastically in the last six months.
"Previously I travelled quite oftentimes for work, almost every month, met clients and there were lots of human interactions," he said.
"I used to be quite happy to stay at dwelling house because I was out then much but with this work-from-home system, I discover myself jumping at any opportunity to socialise. Even though I'chiliad rather introverted, I've seen how (the lack of face-to-face social interaction) affects me and makes me a chip grumpier."
Dr Low has besides started exercising a lot more. "On days when I'yard frustrated, I'll interruption out a HIIT workout at home to take my heed off things," he said.
Taking the advice he gives to colleagues and to clients, Dr Low said he is likewise learning to exist kinder to himself during this unprecedented period.
"I'll set a target. If I run into it, that's adept. If I don't, I'll go along in mind that this is special circumstance correct now and don't beat myself up over it," he said.
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/people/singapore-doctor-international-sos-247621
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