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Paving the Way Towards a More Sustainable Future - Fullerton Health Accelerates Regional Growth with Sustainability Framework

By PRNEWSWIRE

Published : Dec. 19, 2023 - 20:11

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SINGAPORE, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fullerton Health Group (FHG) continues to make important strides toward integrating its sustainability goals within its operations and ecosystem. The release of its FY2022 Sustainability Report underscores the Group's commitments and progress in achieving its sustainability goals. The report reflects FHG's strong partnerships and collective action in building a sustainable future.

Dr Hee Li Heng and Fullerton Health Staff at Fullerton Health Hub at Hougang Green Clinic.
Dr Hee Li Heng and Fullerton Health Staff at Fullerton Health Hub at Hougang Green Clinic.

Under the Environmental, Societal, and Governance (ESG) goals of the report, the company announced ambitious targets for its own decarbonisation as well as extensive investments to create long-term value for our stakeholders.

Group Chief Executive Officer Ho Kuen Loon stated: "Our sustainability framework gives us a 360 view of our ESG priorities and provides metrics for checks and measurements. It gives us a firm foundation to deeply embed sustainability in our business activities, decision-making and governance."

Chief Sustainability Officer Margareta Laminto added: "This means working together with all our stakeholders- employees, business partners, patients and corporate customers to foster strong relationships to drive the sustainability agenda, multiplying its impact across our ecosystem and build a more sustainable future for our communities."

To view the report please click on this link.

Key highlights from the 2022 report 

Fullerton Health's sustainability framework is defined by four pillars - Governance, Economic, Social and Environment - each of which has an important bearing on our capacity to generate aligned with positive impact on society and the environment. This framework allows the organisation to take a comprehensive approach in its sustainability journey, allowing us to reap outcomes that align with making this world a better place for generations to come.

  • Promoting Integrity through Enhanced Governance Measures

Fullerton Health's governance approach covers policies and processes. It stipulates the way we establish partnerships with employees and external stakeholders, ensuring overall accountability. Some areas the enhanced governance policies have addressed are as follows:

    • Whistleblowing policy – Employees are encouraged to immediately raise  concerns regarding malpractice or misconduct.
    • Fraud policy - Prevents fraudulent activities, misconduct, or suspected misconduct which involves direct and indirect employees, shareholders, business partners and other entities that maintain a commercial relationship with Fullerton Health.
    • Travel Gifts and Entertainment policy - Prevents staff from engaging in corrupt activities such as soliciting, receiving, or giving gratifications to gain business advantages.
    • Procurement policy - Ensures a transparent process when sourcing for services and products based on prevailing laws and regulations.
    • Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions policy – Adheres to global regulations and norms concerning sanctions to carefully monitor and restrict any violation or doubtful transactions involving specific nations, governments, entities and individuals.

  • Protecting Patient's Privacy through Data and Information Governance

With the growing popularity of Telehealth, it is crucial to ensure that customers' data privacy is not compromised. Fullerton Health is fully compliant to the Personal Data Protection Act and other relevant regulatory requirements and guidelines that are dedicated to safeguarding personal data.  Fullerton Health has obtained ISO 27001 certification for Information Security Management System ("ISMS"). This certification is currently the world's best-known standard for information security management systems.

  • Tech Innovation for Community Good

Fullerton Health is committed to staying ahead of the curve, while actively engaging our board. Our Senior Management team and all business units continually identify, prioritise, and implement impactful changes to improve the healthcare experience of our customers.

We have enhanced our healthcare protocols, procedures and services with technology as an enabler.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, our team developed a COVID-19 symptoms checker . We used proprietary AI technology originally developed for commercial use, stripped to its basic core module and made it free-to-use on our app LiveFuller across our markets in Asia. This was to allay fears amidst swirling falsehood and also to direct people to appropriate resources made available within national systems.   

Since then Fullerton Health has established itself as a trusted healthcare provider, and the app LiveFuller has grown in its services to our customers. Patients can use this app to easily schedule a teleconsultation with their preferred medical professionals and specialists as well as book physical follow-up consultations and arrange medication delivery at one's convenience.

Fullerton Health LiveFuller Tele-Health Consult App
Fullerton Health LiveFuller Tele-Health Consult App

  • Developing Staff to their Full Potential as We Achieve Excellence Together

Each employee plays a critical role in Fullerton Health'It is essential to provide ongoing training for employees at all stages as it akin to ensuring our patients and customers enjoy the best quality of care.

Our HR team uses analytics to identify career advancement development and opportunities for our employees. We then create competency plans and training modules to move them forward. Even our suppliers are encouraged to abide by a code of conduct to develop human resources within their own companies. We see them as long-term collaborators and work toward creating value for all.

  • Improved Access to Care for Marginalised Communities  

Having served migrant communities through corporate contracts for many years. Fullerton Health has long been an advocate of holistic management of migrant workers health. COVID-19 reinforced the need for a systemic change in migrant workers health management.

Appointed by the Ministry of Manpower to be the Primary Care plan anchor operator for the Tuas region, we inaugurated a Health Medical Centre for Migrant Workers located at Gul Circle. This new Medical Centre serve up to 400 patients a day. It is a full-service healthcare centre with diagnostic and even dental facilities. It serves migrant worker even after office hours through a Tele-consult app. This centre is part of a robust framework, with satellite clinics and referral protocols to tertiary hospitals. It is also part of a national surveillance system that makes Singapore pandemic ready.

The Fullerton Health Medical Centre for Migrant Workers at Gul Circle
The Fullerton Health Medical Centre for Migrant Workers at Gul Circle

Fullerton Health is addressing the issue of Tuberculosis (TB) in Indonesia. TB is the fourth leading cause of death in the country with over one million people being infected annually. the disease is treatable with appropriate medical care and Fullerton Health is assisting Indonesian communities in sub-urban areas with screening allowing for early intervention. The programme reached over 278,000 people in factories, city slums, prisons, boarding schools and rural villages.

The collaboration between Fullerton Health and public sectors brought positive changes in addressing gaps in public healthcare systems. Cooperating with like-minded organisations in the healthcare network alleviated the load on the public health sector and offered more choices to everyone.

Full details of our performance and commitment in sustainable development are available in our 2022 Sustainability Report, available here.