Dr Foong Tsin Uin & Dr Clarice Chia Woodworth
Healing is an art, medicine is a profession, but healthcare is not like any other business. However, today, medical care is being pushed more and more into a business model focused on reaping profits. In the current healthcare scenario, the basic needs of patients have taken a back seat and the turnover generated by physicians and patients has become the implicit driver of healthcare organizations. Despite the increasing scope and sophistication of healthcare, it is failing at a fundamental level. Genuine care, compassion— the basics of care delivery and the human aspects that define it seem to be under strain.
Thus, to take medical care back to basics by offering genuine high quality, compassionate care with a large dose of kindness and authenticity, two visionary healthcare professionals, Dr. FoongTsinUin and Dr. Clarice Chia Woodworth came to the forefront. Dr. Clarice has been providing care for the international community in Singapore for more than 20 years and Dr. Foong joined her as Deputy, having practiced medicine for over 20 years, in the UK. Both TsinUin and Clarice believe that basic kindness and compassion are vital for excellent medical care and it’s their shared belief and vision that brought these visionaries together to establish Osler Health International, an ethically run clinic dedicated to delivering bespoke medical care for the whole family while keeping human kindness, compassion, and humanity at the core.
Keeping Kindness As Opposed To Profit at Its Heart
Osler Health provides a broad range of healthcare services, leveraging the collective experience of their internationally-trained pool of doctors. It embraces technology, having developed its own app from scratch and it also offers telemedicine. However, the factor that it focuses on the most is the human contact that is so critical in the delivery of healthcare nowadays. The cohesive team at Osler Health looks after the patients well and strives to create a friendly and high-quality ecosystem for patients as well as the staff. “Our entire team at Osler Health shares our vision of high-quality care and genuinely cares about patients, and this comes across in their communication not only in person but on emails and phone calls. We want to make healthcare clear, easy, and transparent for you,” asserts Dr. Foong.
“We truly walk the talk and provide the personalized healthcare – right from the moment you call and speak to the reception team to make an appointment, to the tests recommended by the doctors for your health screen. We don’t fit patients into packages, but listen to your needs and wants, your health history, your budget, your concerns, and recommend tests that suit you, citing the pros and cons of doing so,” adds Dr. Clarice.
Growing through Challenges
For an entrepreneur, challenges are always around the corner. But what matters is how one tackles the obstacle. The COVID-19 pandemic has been one such critical challenge that threw almost every business leader off balance and the entrepreneur duo was no exception. However, they navigated through all the challenges, drawing the key lessons from the experience. “The experience has taught us to look at the situation from a different angle and take opportunities that you may not have thought of. Look inwards at the strengths of the team and you will be able to always maneuver and move forward. With that, it has also taught us to look at the strengths of each member of the team and use their strengths. This is allowed many team members to grow and take on roles and tasks that they would not have previously done so, and this has been positive for their career growth, personal mindset, and work satisfaction,” affirms Dr. Foong. During the pandemic when there have been ever-changing advisories surrounding the COVID-19 travel situation, Osler Health has established its reputation in helping one get on a plane with the correct travel documents following a swab test.
Singing From the Same Hymn Sheet
While many entrepreneurs and founders prefer to run the show alone, for TsinUin and Clarice, having a business partner means that there is always someone you can bounce ideas on and lean on. They believe that having 2 perspectives is often helpful in seeing the full picture, and gaining a better 360 of situations. “The obvious con is not always being aligned with ideas, but we are fortunate that our guiding beacon and ethos is extremely aligned which leads to very little conflicts between us. If so, we are able to navigate and resolve those easily with our shared mission,” opines Dr. Clarice.
With a strong shared vision, they work in sync. TsinUin takes care of the day-to-day operations and is more “on the ground”, whilst Clarice takes care of the administrative aspects of the business –and behind the scene. Being aware and aligned with the vision of the company, they are confident with each other when decisions need to be made. They communicate very frequently to ensure that both are kept aligned with any progress and developments. “It is important that we complement each other but also sing from the same hymn sheet. This is important especially when we both have different aspects of the business to look after, and should one need to take over the others’ role that the communication and outlook projected is the same,” elucidates Dr. Foong.
Focusing On Careful Organic Growth
When it comes to growth, the leaders at Osler Health are very cognizant and deliberate with the growth trajectory and are conscious that careful organic growth is paramount. According to the entrepreneur duo, setting the foundations right in the early days is critical so that any growth after that would be done on solid ground. They believe that a happy workforce is invaluable as it can contribute to the further growth of a company. Besides this, they also strive to stay abreast of opportunities around them and be receptive to those. Coming from the same background and experience in running a healthcare setup, the duo is able to discern opportunities quickly and move swiftly if necessary.
Be Receptive, Be Kind!
As a veteran of the industry, TsinUin and Clarice advise budding entrepreneurs to be clear about their mission and vision and be confident to go with it. They also encourage them to be receptive and open to changes and opportunities and above all else, to be kind. “Above all, be kind – as this is the underlying ethos at Osler Health as, without that, we will not be able to deliver the care that we set out to do. Our kindness extends beyond our patients and our team, to everyone who works with Osler Health – including our collaborators, suppliers, and vendors. Be well,” concludes Dr. Clarice.