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Sunday, 18 July 2010 23:07
An Interview with Dr. Ismael Naypa, Director of the International Department of Yanhee Hospital, Thailand
Basketball, to most Filipinos, is not just a game for fun, for enjoyment, or as a means of keeping one’s body fit. For many Filipinos abroad, especially here in Thailand, it is also a way of keeping in touch with other members of the community. And to someone like Dr. Ismael Naypa, it is also a means to let all Filipinos know about Yanhee Hospital, where he is Director of the International Department. Yanhee, the leading name in Thailand in cosmetic and other aesthetic medical services, is also becoming known outside Thailand as the prime stop for medical tourists who wish for topnotch medical cosmetic and beauty treatments.
Siam Pinoy interviews Dr. Naypa, who came to join the Yanhee Hospital’s Management Team in 2005. Back then, records showed the hospital catered to about 200 international patients in the year 2002. After 5 years, with Dr. Naypa steering the ship in the international department, Yanhee catered to almost 10,000 international patients in 2009 alone.
Here is a two-part feature of Siam Pinoy’s intreview with Dr. Naypa, another great Khun Pinoy, whose example extends far beyond maintaining professional ethics and excellent performance at Yanhee Hospital.
Dr. Naypa: The reason why I joined the Filipino Basketball League, is for Yanhee to be known also among the Filipino community in Thailand. I’m the one handling the international marketing. I’m marketing the hospital to Australia, the United States, and Europe. I also have to market it to my own country.
SP: Are there lots of Filipinos traveling to Thailand for Yanhee’s medical services?
Dr. Naypa: Most Filipinos who travel to Thailand and seek medical assistance from Yanhee, are those coming from outside the Philippines. It’s cheaper here; they can afford it.
SP: When did you start your job as Director of the Yanhee International Department?
Dr. Naypa: I started in September of 2005. So it’s almost 5 years now.
SP: How many Filipino staff do you have?
Dr. Naypa: All in all, about 70. We have 5 doctors, 2 x-ray technicians, nursing aides, about 60 nurses, and others are office workers.
It’s a big help to those who are working here, because they are earning more compared to when they work in the Philippines. Sa atin, wala talagang trabaho (In the Philippines, there really isn’t any work.)Especially among nurses, we now have an excess of nurses. There are lots of applicants, but I cannot accommodate them all. The number of nurses you can hire is limited by the demand.
Thailand, as far as I know, is really producing enough nurses for their own hospitals. We are here, not to render the normal nursing services, but actually, to assist in the language. The hospital has turned into a more international hospital, so there is a need for help with the English language.
SP: And we saw downstairs, Doc, you have a notice board that says you have translators for many different languages, French, Japanese, Korean…
Dr. Naypa: We have about 20 languages. And the department that I manage, the International department, these interpreters are within that system. So, I also manage these translators.
SP: Are there other practicing doctors from other countries, Dr. Naypa?
Dr. Naypa: No. All the practicing doctors are Thai. It’s just us in the international department. But really, our work is more of coordination. But it’s necessary because when patients send us inquiries, it’s better that the person who answers are medically oriented.
SP: And with your line of work, it is very important that patients establish a sense of trust, isn’t it, Doc? And when patients see that you are knowledgeable about the cases, that contributes to their sense of trust with the hospital.
Dr. Naypa: Yes, and equally important is really, the language. At first, the doctor-patient bond is not yet established between our local doctors at Yanhee and those just making enquiries, because the patient is not yet a warm body that’s in front of the doctors. So, while there are prospective patients knocking on the (online) doors of the hospital, there’s also a whole stretch of line of patients waiting for our doctors to be given medical assistance. So instead of our local doctors spending time to answer emails from people who may not come after all, they would rather give preference to those persons in front of them.
Secondly, when our local doctors do answer some of the emails, it is our job at the international department to expound on those answers, but of course, still revolving around the thoughts of the local doctors.
SP: It’s a really good kind of relationship, Dr. Naypa, because the local doctors do what they do best, once the patient is already here. And at the same time, you capture those who are still undecided or are still thinking whether they should come here at all or not.
Dr. Naypa: Yes, so our job in the international department is really divided into two. One job is performed before the patient comes, by answering their queries. The local doctors do theirs when the patient is here, and then there’s a job for us to do after the patient comes. The interpreters are with the patients from the time they enter the hospital until they leave.
So sa ngayon (as of now), our biggest market is Australia. It used to be Japan and Korea, years ago. Like five years ago. Though, it was small in number.
But as Yanhee gained more reputation abroad, our numbers grew. People heard that here, their answers are answered in English. So instead of just having Korean and Japanese patients, which were limited to mostly sex change operations, now we’re having Australians. And then United States comes in second.
And perhaps, the top management of Yanhee has now recognized the contribution of the International Department in that positive change and growth.
SP: And surely, Doc, the Filipino staff are happy with their work here at Yanhee.
Dr. Naypa: Well, I personally selected them. Apart from my work as Director of the International department, my other function is Dormitory Dean! (Laughter)
Dr. Naypa: There are now 5 houses where all the Filipinos stay. These belong to the hospital. And I make sure that everybody is given comfort, and that entails a lot of headaches. SP: It’s pretty much like working 24/7, Doc. Dr. Naypa: Yes, something like that. But of course, I have a lot of help. Like Dan and Villyn here (Dan and Villyn are trusted staff of Dr. Naypa’s, both are Filipino). They’re like an extension of my arms and my brain. Kung wala sila…well, pwedeng may mag-aaway (Without them to help oversee things, there’s risk of people fighting.) So I have to take care of that. I’m very sensitive about these things. I have to know. And if I hear na may problema doon, tawag kaagad (If I hear there’s a problem at the houses where the Filipino staff stay, I call immediately).
And before I bring somebody here, I ask several people for reference. Actually, this is already one whole community back in the Philippines. Most of them come from one school. Magkaklase na sila…magkaibigan na (They were already classmates…friends.) So the only thing they need to adjust to when they get here, is the culture.
So yun din and naka-unite ng whole group (so all that has helped to unite the whole group). SP: Doc, this is also very important information, because we in Siam Pinoy, many times, feel sad whenever we hear that some Filipinos have left work, leaving behind a very bad trail of experiences for their local employers. There were instances of fighting among Filipinos in one workplace, and of course, it leaves behind a very bad reputation for Filipinos as a whole group. But learning from you, on how you’ve made sure we are looked on as a good group of foreign employees, would be helpful to others as well. (Then Dr. Naypa continues on to explain how he makes sure that the risk of people not getting along well together is lessened.) Dr. Naypa: The Human Resource did wonder once why they all seem to be just from one school. Hindi naman 100% na isang school lang (The employees don’t all come from just one school).
But the school where most of the staff come from, I know it well. My own kids went to that school, and I know how they handle their students.
And before somebody comes, I ask others who are already here for feedback on the new ones who are coming. And when they can attest to positive qualities, such as a very good attitude on the part of the incoming ones, then my batting average is high.
(But of course, just like any other manager who aims for quality work among his staff, Dr. Naypa also has to make tough decisions sometimes. Such decisions include letting go of some employees who are not contributing positively to the workplace. So when their contracts end, they are no longer asked to sign new ones.) Dr. Naypa: Yung ibang pinauwi ko na (some of those I have sent home), nobody really knew them. It’s only when they were here, that I have discovered they have bad habits. And nobody knew them before they worked here (because they did not come from the same school as the others). At first, I was impressed because they had good records, and so I thought to myself, “I will try”. That way, I would also have a mix.
But it’s been proven from experience, that, yun din ang mga taong hindi nag work out (those are the same people whose performance did not work out well).
SP: What are some of the challenges you have had?
Dr. Naypa: The number one challenge is to understand the culture. I think, I spent almost three years to understand Thai culture. In the Philippines, we work differently. We are more frank, and we raise our voices when we confront somebody.
Here, that is unacceptable. I have to tone down my voice. When someone makes a mistake, you have to be very careful when you talk to them. I think the biggest challenge is that. That’s number one!
Number two, was to understand what the real purpose of my being here is. Frankly, I am here because the owner of this hospital was my classmate in the medical school in the Philippines. I did not come here knocking, and saying, ‘I want a job’. He invited me here. We were friends in medical school. But we lost touch for 18 years.
In 2003, medical tourism became a phenomenon, and he wanted to join that. He must have realized he needed somebody to run the international affairs of the hospital because it was really difficult. If you were a foreigner from the United States or Singapore, it was hard. And other hospitals were already doing that (medical tourism).
So he looked for me in the Philippines. But it was only in 2005 when I actually came. He got me when he said, “Why don’t you bring 5 nurses? I want to try Philippine nurses.”
You see, when he offered me the job in 2003, I had my private practice. I was a General Surgeon in the Philippines, and my wife was a Pediatrician…we had a clinic. To come here was a gamble: would I succeed or not? And if you folded shop there (Philippines), it would be hard to go back.
SP: What did you do, when you were just starting, to find out what you could do for the hospital?
Dr. Naypa: Well, being a General Surgeon, of course, I did not have any knowledge about marketing. I knew that my purpose was to get people in here, but at first, I did not know how. So I thought, I had to use my common sense.
And then later on, I found out that many people wanted to get in touch with the hospital. But there was no avenue in place for them to get through to us effectively. It was very difficult for the patients. So that is where I started.
This hospital, maraming gustong mag-contact (Many people wanted to contact this hospital). So I thought we should open this hospital. So I think, I didn’t really do anything for this hospital, but to open its doors to patients.
I thought, let’s just open it up, so they (the patients) can call, they can email, and when they do, somebody answers. That is the only secret. I did not do anything else because the hospital is already established.
Apart from this new building, which was the result of more patients coming in, there is really nothing new about the hospital. We have the same doctors and the same management. The key was just to open its doors.
Dr. Naypa’s work has already caught the attention of others in the medical field in Thailand. He has been asked to talk in a forum attended by managers of international departments of institutions in Thailand, has already been interviewed here by Jessica Soho for her program in the Philippines, and Yanhee is enjoying the steady increase in the number of patients coming in from outside Thailand, with the biggest jump happening between 2007 and 2008 : with around 3,000 patients in 2007 to around 7,000 in 2008.
But it does not end there. Next week, we will continue with the second part of our feature on Dr. Naypa. This time, we will also be featuring the system he has started with the 70 or so Filipinos under his employ at Yanhee. Watch out for that and find out how they save money and keep their living expenses to a minimum.
An Interview with Dr. Ismael Naypa, Director of the International Department of Yanhee Hospital, Thailand
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