Physician on a mission to provide holistic healthcare services
WE mostly think of doctors as neighbourhood GPs or perhaps surgeons. But Billy Hardie is different. This physician on a mission has launched a business that incorporates all aspects of a healthy lifestyle.
Dr Hardie, 43, is founder and chief executive officer of HealthTrends Medical Investments (HTMI). And though HTMI is no Parkway or Raffles Medical, Dr Hardie is proving there is room for a new kid on the block.
HTMI is committed to providing medical and 'wellness' treatment for the sick and the healthy through holistic care.
This means that besides the conventional services offered by GPs and specialists, it offers medical aesthetic services that focus on a patient's physical appearance, such as skin-care, body contouring and teeth-whitening.
But the key feature of the enterprise is Dr Hardie's vision of medical 'wellness' for all.
Described by friends as an optimistic person, he has made the feel-good factor part of his brand of healthcare.
He believes that to be positive is to be pro-active. So optimum health is simply a case of being pro-active at taking care of yourself.
'You don't just want to help patients prevent or cure diseases, you want them to live life to the fullest,' he explains. 'And that means being healthy in a holistic sense - not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.'
Dr Hardie believes that optimum health is not merely the absence of sickness or disease. He thinks it is essential for doctors to help cultivate a wholesome healthcare environment that addresses not just the needs of the sick, but also those interested in medical advice and products to enhance their lifestyle.
It dawned on him one day that as a doctor practising in his clinic he could 'touch only 100-odd patients in a day'. He wanted to do more.
After giving the matter a lot of thought, he thought that the best way to achieve this was a system of care that is scalable.
'It must retain that personal touch, but if you believe in a particular philosophy of care, you want to share it with fellow doctors who feel conventional medical care lacks in providing comprehensive care to patients,' he said.
HTMI was born out of this concept.
Rallying like-minded friends in the medical fraternity, Dr Hardie has been able to grow the business into a network of clinics, specialists, aesthetics and wellness centres in Singapore and in neighbouring countries.
As an umbrella organisation through which patients can deal with all their health needs and concerns, HTMI also thrives on being a player in - no surprise - health trends.
'Whether it is using innovative concepts, products and technology to treat patients, or even realignment of existing services to treat patients, we are into it,' says Dr Hardie.
Among the interesting products and services available at his Novena clinic is the 'Cosmetic Bright' teeth whitening system that makes use of UV light and foam strips. After a simple three-step procedure, the patient can see an improvement after just 20 minutes. It costs about $500, which Dr Hardie says makes such a product very price-competitive.
Besides Swiss-made dermatological products for those with skin problems, he also supplies a new line of health supplements aptly named 'nutrendz', as well as 'i-HealtiQ10', a grape-flavoured drink that is high in ubiquinone - a vitamin-like nutrient responsible for producing body energy.
Dr Hardie's decision to apply his vision of optimum health with his medical knowledge, then roll it out as a formal enterprise, is paying off.
'When people see a good thing, they want to go get on board,' he says.
And it is not just doctors who get it, but also investors like BAF Spectrum, which recently invested $1 million in HTMI.
Dr Hardie thinks this is not just because HTMI represents a good business opportunity, but also because the sense of nobility in dealing with health care is attractive.
With Singapore aiming to become a medical tourism hub, he has also set his sights on that market. Though he won't share 'secret' strategy on how HTMI plans to get into it, he says platforms established in Malaysia, Thailand and the UK put him in good stead.
On regional ventures and alliances, he points out that HTMI is not just about taking care of patients. 'It also serves as a platform for the Asean medical fraternity to interact and share their knowledge and experiences,' he says.
And HTMI is not exclusively for people who can afford extra treatment - its clinics place special emphasis on the prevention and treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases.
Dr Hardie, a Eurasian of Scottish descent, speaks dialect with ease, having been a family doctor who spent a large part of his career working in a neighbourhood clinic.
He feels that healthcare workers are generally a kind-hearted bunch. 'If patients can't afford treatment, there are ways and means of helping,' he says.
As a student, he was drawn towards a job that could help people in the most visible manner. He dreams of setting up a foundation to take care of the less fortunate one day.
But right now he is focused on meeting the challenges faced by his fledgling medical enterprise.
Juggling medical duties with marketing formulas, sourcing opportunities to participate in the latest R&D products or obtaining distribution rights, this doctor is equally comfortable in any realm.
