INAXES News

Sunday, February 08, 2009

 

OI Webinar - Fundamentals of Thermal Desorption

OI Analytical will be presenting a free webinar on February 19, 2009 at 1:00 pm Central Time, entitled, "Fundamentals of Thermal Desorption" with a focus on the following:

-     The fundamentals of the two-stage thermal desorption technique (USEPA Method TO-17).  

-     The simplest and most cost-effective sampling solution for VOC air toxics.   

-     The components, flow-path, and operation of OI's new thermal desorber. 

 

Laura Chambers, Market Specialist, Chromatography Products for OI Analytical, will be presenting this webinar.  Laura has a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Reed College and over 20 years of laboratory work experience. Laura joined OI Analytical in 1998 as an Applications Chemist, advanced to Applications Specialist in 1999, and in 2005, she was promoted to Product Line Manager for OI's GC product line where she managed OI's very successful Eclipse Purge-and-Trap Sample Concentrator. Laura has a working knowledge of gas chromatography, inclusive of detectors, sample introduction, and data processing. She has been a member of ASTM since 1999 and the American Chemical Society since 1988.

 

For more information and to register click on the following link: http://www.oico.com/seminars/webinars/2009/gc20090219.aspx

 

For more information on OI Analytical products and services:

E-mail: mailto:oimail@oico.com?subject=**GC20090219**>

Visit our website: http://www.oico.com/

Call: 1-800-653-1711 (USA) or 979-690-1711 (International)

 

 

Bumrungrad presses ahead, others more cautious

The Nation Published on January 7, 2009

 

Leading hospitals are adopting different approaches on crisis-led opportunities: while some are continuing with investment plans, others are scaling back their expansion.

At Bumrungrad Hospital, executives have taken the economic crisis as an opportunity to invest and expand its business.

 

Kennenth Mays, senior director, hospital marketing and business development, said the crisis presented opportunities for companies which have healthy finances and cash reserves, such as Bumrungrad.

 

The hospital can shop for strategically appropriate projects at discounted prices, and will continue to explore good deals in China, India and other markets.

 

"This is a good time for investment," he said.

 

Bumrungrad will also allocate budgets for international marketing and network expansion of overseas representative offices, as well as for using the Internet and other media channels to promote its services.

 

Mays said Bumrungrad had no plans to cut its investment budget this year. Most of the money will be used for renovation and expansion of its Bangkok facilities. In fact, it has accelerated some of these plans because it is a good time to upgrade floors and rooms without much disruption.

 

Bumrungrad targets revenue 2009 growth at 5 to 10 per cent, but that has to be coupled with a big caveat because nobody in recent times has experienced a world economy like the current one, he said.

 

Bumrungrad expects to have more than 400,000 foreign inpatients and outpatients this year, which would be about 35 to 40 per cent of it total patient numbers.

 

Taking a completely different tack, Wallop Adhikomprapa, president of Bangkok Dusit Medical Service, said the company would delay all major investments and wait to see how the economic situation develops in the current quarter.

 

"We have to control capital expenditure as much as we can and make a good bottom line. So, we will monitor the investment budget on a quarterly basis," he said.

 

Within Thailand, the company will only proceed with the construction of Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin.

 

Chatree Duangnet, CEO of Bangkok Hospital Medical Centre - a unit of Bangkok Dusit - earlier said it had decided to postpone indefinitely the plan to set up a second hospital worth Bt3 billion in Abu Dhabi, which had been scheduled to start construction this year. The project would benefit the company in the long term, as many Middle Eastern patients prefer to fly to Thailand for medical treatment.

 

Meanwhile, at Samitivej, there will be no major investments this year.

 

Raymond Chong, managing director and CEO of Samitivej Hospital, said the company would however open a rehabilitation centre at Samitivej Srinakarin. The facility will be the biggest such centre in eastern Bangkok.

 

This is the second of a two-part series. The first part was published yesterday.

 

 

2 million foreign patients expected for 2009

By The Nation 12/01/2009

 

About two million visitors are expected to take advantage of some of the world's best medical treatment services and facilities in Thailand in 2009, according to the estimates of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Department of Export Promotion (DEP).

 

The estimates represented a 38 per cent increase from the 2006 figures of 1.45 million. Combined revenue from the foreign patients is expected to rise from Bt40 billion in 2006 to Bt45 billion.

 

There are 30 hospitals in Thailand which are now ready to service foreign patients nationwide. Some of the better-known ones among them are the Bangkok Medical Centre, Phyathai Hospital, Samitivej Hospital, Rama 9 Hospital, and Bumrungrad Hospital.

 

With improved services and reasonable prices, Thailand has attracted a growing number of foreign patients.

 

In 2002, the number reached 630,000 with combined spending of Bt18 billion. In 2003, the number was 973,532 with spending of Bt26 billion. In 2004, the number rose to 1.1 million with Bt30 billion in revenue. In 2005, the number moved to 1.25 million with over Bt30 billion in revenue.