KPJ Healthcare Berhad

Hospital's a winner with World Cup theme

GOING for his annual checkup at KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital was better this time around

Going for his annual checkup at KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital was better this time around for Nor Azlan Ismail, 29, as he was seen playing football while waiting for the results of his checkup. His opponent was hospital vendor M. Kumar who was waiting for his team to complete a job.

Nor Azlan and Kumar were playing virtual football on the Xbox console set up by
the hospital's management for the duration of the 2014 Fifa World Cup tournament.
Nor was the "striker" and Kumar the "goalkeeper" and as they played, some children in the lobby were seen imitating them.

Nor Azlan said the innovative activity was great. "At least I am not sitting and waiting as usual"

Kumar's comment was similar: "The time flies faster".

This is the second time the hospital has splashed its lobby with a World Cup theme, the first being in 2010.

The Xbox at the centre of the lobby was just one part of the World Cup theme.

The lobby was decorated with the scarves of the various World Cup teams and football balloons while a big screen adorned a wall, playing repeat games. Non nursing staff wore the jerseys of their favourite teams and so did the doctors but all had to display their hospital tags. The most popular jerseys were Brazil, Germany,
Argentina and Spain.

The hospital may have gone overboard by painting its buggies that ferry visitors from the car park in the colours of the favourite teams.

Even the cafeteria menu had dishes named after popular footballers such as Messi Pasta, W. Rooney Rod John and Neymar Chicken Lasagna.

KPJ Ipoh deputy chairman Ahmad Nasiruddin Harun said the reason for doing this was that "hospitals are humanintensive." "We want to have rapport and with the customers and even patients and replace the stereotype image of hospitals and be interactive.

"To get the staff involved, we've asked them to select two winners. They are allowed to wear the jerseys of their favourite teams during work. The prize is a RM1,000 hamper. The whole purpose is to have a common corporate topic to share and interact".

Corporate strategies aside, the innovative idea was certainly positive as displayed by a woman outpatient who posed in a Brazil themed buggy for our photographer.