Traders bet BOE will raise rates this year amid hawkish signals #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40007382


Traders are preparing for the Bank of England to lift borrowing costs by the end of this year after two officials moved to reinforce signals of an imminent increase to curb inflation.

Money markets priced in at least 15 basis points of tightening by the BOE’s December 2021 meeting on Monday, according to sterling overnight index swaps, which would take the key rate to 0.25%. The market was previously betting the first increase would be in February.

Michael Saunders, one of the most hawkish members of the Monetary Policy Committee, suggested in remarks published Saturday that investors were right to bring forward bets on rate hikes. Hours earlier, Governor Andrew Bailey warned of a potentially “very damaging” period of inflation unless policy makers take action.

ADVERTISEMENT

The repricing reflects mounting concern over the lasting impact of the latest surge in prices, with consumers facing higher costs for energy and goods, due in part to shortages that resulted from the nation’s departure from the European Union. A market-based measure of inflation 10 years from now rose to more than 4% last week, double the BOE’s target.

The BOE “appears concerned about inflation credibility,” said Robert Wood, Bank of Amercia’s U.K. economist, adding that policy makers will “hike early” to avoid more increases later. BofA expects a 15-basis-point increase in December, followed by another 25 basis points in February, in line with market bets.

Money markets see an additional quarter-of-a-percentage point hike to take the key rate to 0.75% by August. That’s even as some investors warn that higher interest rates risk undermining the U.K.’s fragile recovery from the pandemic.

“We see the BOE jawboning in a bid to ward off the threat of inflation expectations becoming entrenched,” said Richard McGuire, head of rates strategy at Rabobank. “It seems remarkable to conceive of the BOE increasing borrowing costs as we head into Christmas.”

The moves reverberated across U.K. markets, with government bonds falling across the curve, sending benchmark 10-year yields to as high as 1.22%, a level last seen in May 2019.

“Saunders is not quite representative of the entire MPC as he tends to be the most extreme,” said Peter Schaffrik, global macro strategist at RBC Europe. “Bailey’s comments are important as he seems to embrace tightening as well.”

A combination of higher energy prices, supply chain disruptions and rising wages in some industries has undercut the BOE’s original view that much of the jump in prices will prove transitory. The central bank last month said it expects inflation to exceed 4% in the last quarter.

Published : October 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg

Global energy crisis piles pressure on aluminum supply #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40007381


Aluminum jumped to its highest price since 2008 as a deepening power crisis squeezes supplies of the energy-intensive metal thats used in everything from beer cans to iPhones.

Industry insiders like to joke that aluminum is basically “solid electricity.” Each ton of metal takes about 14 megawatt hours of power to produce, enough to run an average U.K. home for more than three years. If the 65 million ton-a-year aluminum industry was a country, it would rank as the fifth-largest power consumer in the world.

That meant aluminum was one of the first targets in China’s efforts to curb industrial energy usage. Even beyond the current power crisis, Beijing has placed a hard cap on future capacity that promises to end years of over-expansion and raises the prospect of deep global deficits. Now, with energy costs surging across Asia and Europe, there’s growing risk of further supply cuts.

ADVERTISEMENT

For investors looking to bet on a future price spike, LME options contracts offer a popular and low-risk way.

In recent weeks, investors have been buying calls with strike prices of up to $4,000 a ton, according to traders active in the market — effectively betting that prices could move significantly beyond that level to reach new all-time highs.

“It feels very much like a structural hedge-fund play,” said Keith Wildie, head of trading at Romco Metals, who’s been trading LME options for more than 20 years. “What they’re positioning for is a significant market dislocation, and a sharp move higher in the price.”

As the global metals world prepared to gather in London for the annual LME Week, signs of pressure on the aluminum industry have continued to mount. China’s State Council announced Friday it will allow higher power prices in a bid to ease the worsening energy crunch. In the Netherlands, aluminum producer Aldel will curtail production from this week due to high electricity prices, Dutch Broadcaster NOS reported.

A number of aluminum plants in China are being mothballed and the country’s production has probably peaked, at least in the short term, said Mark Hansen, CEO at London-based trading house Concord Resources. With the market in a deficit and needing to stimulate investment in new production outside China, prices could hit $3,400 a ton in the next 12 months, he said.

Next, traders and analysts say investors are watching for a possible hit to Chinese aluminum exports. With its own production under pressure and demand booming, the country has been importing ever-greater quantities of primary metal. However, it’s still exporting huge volumes of semi-finished aluminum, in part supported by tax rebates.

“Given the acuteness of the power shortages and the curtailments we’ve seen, it just doesn’t seem rational for China to be exporting that volume of aluminium products every single month,” James Luke, commodities fund manager at Schroders, said by phone from London. “It’s essentially just a net export of energy resources.”

Analysts including those at Goldman Sachs say there’s potential for Beijing to lower or remove the value-added tax rebates on exports to slow the flow of metal beyond its borders. With China likely to continue importing huge volumes of aluminum next year, that could leave the rest of the world desperately short, and raises the risk of a violent price spike.

Separately, prices got an extra boost Monday after the European Union imposed an anti-dumping duty on flat-rolled aluminum from China, although it suspended the duty initially for nine months and excluded some key material, including metal used by the drinks cans, car and aircraft industries.

This year’s surge in aluminum prices would typically prompt producers elsewhere to reopen old plants and consider adding new supply. Yet the even-bigger jump in power costs is putting pressure on smelters and may make restarts difficult.

As an example, if a smelter in Germany was exposed to one-month baseload rates for power, it would need to pay about $4,000 for the energy needed to produce a ton of metal, far outstripping current aluminum prices.

“The global metal market in 2022 will be the tightest it’s ever been,” Eoin Dinsmore, head of aluminum primary and products research at CRU, said by phone from London. “The rest of the world cannot deliver these quantities to China indefinitely.”

Published : October 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg

Chinese builders scramble for ways to avoid bond defaults #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40007380


Chinese builders are looking to payment extensions or debt exchanges to avoid default on imminent bond obligations as liquidity conditions tighten for the real estate sector.

Modern Land (China) is asking holders for a three-month extension on $250 million dollar bond due to mature Oct. 25 while also announcing two top executives plan to loan the builder about $125 million. Xinyuan Real Estate has proposed paying just 5% of principal on a note due Oct. 15 and swapping that debt for bonds due 2023. Fitch Ratings called the move a distressed debt exchange while downgrading the firm to C.

Modern Land and Xinyuan respectively have $1.35 billion and $760 million of dollar bonds outstanding, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. In comparison, China Evergrande Group has $19.2 billion.

ADVERTISEMENT

Beijing’s clampdown on the real estate sector and uncertainty over Evergrande’s future have sent the nation’s dollar junk bond yields soaring to their highest in about a decade. That debt market, dominated by developers, saw notes fall as much as 10 cents on the dollar Monday, according to credit traders.

Rising borrowing costs have increased refinancing risks as firms may struggle to access the offshore bond market. That could trigger a wave of defaults across the real estate sector. Property firms’ missed payments have made up 36% of the record $27.2 billion (175 billion yuan) in onshore corporate bond defaults this year, Bloomberg-compiled data show.

Still, for borrowers that can afford it, the selloff may also provide an opportunity to buy back bonds at deep discount and help shore up balance sheets. Yuzhou Group Holdings’ chairman recently bought $5.6 million of the company’s dollar notes through his associates, according to a filing last week.

In the meantime, investors are still waiting for clarity from Evergrande over a potential restructuring or solution for its liquidity crisis which some analysts say could drag on for months. Some of the firm’s bondholders fear Evergrande may sell assets that they’re counting on to back up their claims if the company collapses. It has $148 million due Monday involving three dollar-bond coupons, Bloomberg-compiled data show, after having given no signs it made interest payments expected in September.

More defaults from Chinese property firms are expected under Beijing’s deleveraging campaign, said Kenneth Ho, Goldman Sachs Group’s head of Asia credit strategy. The sector “needs some kind of policy change in order to restore confidence.”

Published : October 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg

Bitcoin pierces $57,000 as traders resume push for record highs #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40007377


Bitcoin climbed above $57,000 for the first time since May as speculators bet that the largest cryptocurrency will retest the record highs reached earlier this year.

Bitcoin pierces $57,000 as traders resume push for record highs

It reached almost $65,000 in April, and has roughly doubled this year. The Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index increased as much as 2.4% on Monday.

As in past rallies, a myriad of reasons are being cited for the latest surge, from an easing of concern about regulatory efforts in the U.S. and China, as well as renewed optimism about a possible U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approval of a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. Investors are particularly excited that a Bitcoin futures ETF may be soon green-lighted by the U.S. regulator, as SEC chair Gary Gensler has signaled openness to a fund focused exclusively on the derivatives-based product.

ADVERTISEMENT

“A lot of investors and advisors have had crypto on their to do list, and are finally making the move with allocations that start with Bitcoin,” or crypto funds like the Bitwise 10 that invest heavily in Bitcoin, said Hunter Horsley, the chief executive of Bitwise Invest. Bitwise has seen “hundreds” of advisors make their first allocations to crypto over the last several weeks, with many flocking to the asset class amid macro-fears about inflation and low yields, he said.

Some strategists are also cheering the resilience of the Bitcoin as seen by the recovery in its so-called hash rate, a measure of computing power being contributed to the network, following China’s latest crackdown on mining earlier this year. As mining operations in China shut down, transaction processors across North America ramped up. A metric that tracks the hash rate’s power has jumped 103% since late June, according to a report from Luxor Technology.

“The time-honored FUD that China controls (or will attempt to control Bitcoin) is now moot. Hash rate is being distributed around the globe with North America emerging as the new dominant hub,” said the report.

Analysts who look at patterns in price charts say that $60,000 is the next level of resistance, though Bitcoin’s relative strength index above 70 suggests that its now in overbought territory.

Elsewhere, Shiba Inu — a Dogecoin-inspired meme cryptocurrency –climbed 20% after more than tripling over the last week, according to CoinMarketCap.

Published : October 12, 2021

By : Bloomberg

Thailand urged to join CPTPP trade pact soon #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/business/40007370


The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) said that it will call on the PM as well as ministers of foreign affairs and commerce to reconsider the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Sanan Angubolkul, chair of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade, said China, the United Kingdom and Taiwan have already started negotiating with CPTPP’s existing 11 members. He pointed out that if Thailand keeps putting off the decision, it may lose out on trade opportunities with neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

CPTPP currently comprises Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Published : October 11, 2021

By : THE NATION

JSCCIB revises up Thailand’s growth despite THB15 billion loss from severe flooding #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/business/40007371


The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) revised Thailand’s GDP growth for 2021 to between 0 and 1 per cent from its previous projection of -1.5 per cent.

The committee said there are several positive factors that will enhance the country’s economic outlook at the end of this year, including the vaccination rollout and clear moves toward reopening the country.

It also said that though schemes like co-payment subsidy Khon La Khrueng (Let’s Go Halves) and Rao Tiew Duay Kan (We Travel Together) campaign were good, more “money bag” schemes are needed to inject cash into the economy.

ADVERTISEMENT

The committee also said it is closely monitoring the pandemic to see if the number of infections rises once lockdown measures are eased. It is also keeping an eye on the impact of severe flooding.

Though flooding has eased in some areas, heavy rains have damaged large swathes of farming land, especially in the Northeast and Central regions. Damage has been estimated at 15 billion baht or 0.1 per cent of the GDP.

Meanwhile, exports are expected to grow 12 to 14 per cent thanks to a recovering global economy, a drop in freight price, a curb on infections in the industrial sector and mass vaccination of workers.

Headline inflation should be in the range of 1 to 2 per cent

Published : October 11, 2021

By : THE NATION

SET drops slightly after rising in previous days #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40007367


The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index closed at 1,633.44 on Monday, down 5.97 points or 0.36 per cent. Transactions totalled 82.97 billion baht with an index high of 1,646.50 and a low of 1,629.95.

The index fell slightly after increasing by 0.35 per cent on Friday and 0.88 per cent on Thursday last week.

In the morning session, Krungsri Securities predicted the day’s index would fluctuate between 1,630 and 1,650 points despite rising oil price in response to tightening supply and hope over Thailand reopening after domestic Covid-19 cases have declined.

ADVERTISEMENT

The brokerage firm, meanwhile, said uncertainty over the US Federal Reserve signalling it would taper its quantitative easing and fund flow volatility would pressure the index.

Related stories:

The 10 stocks with the highest trade value today were TRUE, KBANK, STARK, BANPU, PTT, PTTEP, SCC, SVT, SCB and MONO.

Other Asian indices were mixed:
Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 28,498.20, up 449.26 points or 1.60 per cent.
China’s Shanghai SE Composite closed at 3,591.71, down 0.46 points or 0.013 per cent, while the Shenzhen SE Component closed at 14,367.60, down 46.56 points or 0.32 per cent.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed at 25,325.09, up 487.24 points or 1.96 per cent.

South Korea’s KOSPI Index was closed for Hangeul Day, while Taiwan’s TAIEX Index was closed for National Day.

Published : October 11, 2021

By : THE NATION

Unlocking business resilience through a successful HR management strategy #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/pr-news/business/40007356


The pandemic has changed the way businesses and consumers are behaving. This combined with the already fast-pace developments of new digital technologies, means that businesses are constantly needing to change, reevaluate their strategy and refresh their business model.

While change in today’s day and age has always been increasingly rapid, recent challenges have accelerated this even more. The pandemic has changed the way businesses and consumers are behaving. This combined with the already fast-pace developments of new digital technologies, means that businesses are constantly needing to change, reevaluate their strategy and refresh their business model.

“All these changes have businesses revisiting how they manage their people; the nature of work has changed – many organizations are allowing their staff to work from home,” says Charoen Phosamritlert, Chief Executive Officer, KPMG in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. “Needs of employees have also changed as they focus more on employee wellbeing and happiness. Therefore, efficiently navigating and successfully managing these changes as well as developing and retaining talents are key to successful people management in the era of the next normal.”

“There are a lot of challenges to HR management that businesses need to consider,” says Tidarat Chimluang, Advisory Partner, KPMG in Thailand. “First, businesses need to identify the objectives of HR management to align with the organization’s vision, mission and strategy for the next normal. Secondly, there needs to be a clear designation of roles and responsibilities as well as the qualifications of employees. It is also important to identify the HR Value Proposition or what is the main goal of the HR team, whether it’s employee development or increase employee engagement. Finally, organizations must revisit their HR Operating Model, which is the way they manage their HR strategy, including policy, mechanics, processes or using new digital technologies to manage their human resources.”

Charoen Phosamritlert, Chief Executive Officer, KPMG in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Charoen Phosamritlert, Chief Executive Officer, KPMG in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.

ADVERTISEMENT

To increase business resiliency, a strong HR management strategy is needed. As part of building a robust HR strategy, businesses should consider these 4Rs:

1. Resilience: It is the ability to quickly react to change. Organizations need to design their business – whether through their organization structure or employee levels – to be agile, have a suitable span of organizational control, as well as promote collaboration among teams to create new innovations and to be able to efficiently and quickly answer clients’ needs and enhance agility.

2. Reshape: Reshaping the way human resources is managed, including hiring and workforce management. This is done under the concept of 4Bs.

a. Buy: Recruit and find new talented employees and skills into the organization.

b. Build: Enhancing the ability of employees and unleash their current capabilities in response to the changing needs of the organization.

c. Borrow: Apply outsourcing model and hire temporary employees to enhance organizational capabilities.

d. Bot: Use digital technology to support, enhance and manage the organization to become more efficient.

Tidarat Chimluang, Advisory Partner, KPMG in Thailand.Tidarat Chimluang, Advisory Partner, KPMG in Thailand.

3. Reskill and Upskill: It is important that organizations increase their capabilities and their employees’ capabilities to support new goals, vision, mission and strategy. There are many aspects that employees need to improve on, such as digital technology, customer-centricity, design-thinking and ESG. All of this will allow employees to help their organization grow sustainably.

4. Retain: Whether in terms of recruiting talented employees or reskilling and upskilling current employees, if organizations cannot retain these employees, it will all be for nothing. Therefore, talent management to retain high performing employees is very important. Organizations need to be able to balance their employees’ happiness with good performance.

“After a company considers these aspects in HR management, it needs to build a roadmap for implementation,” continues Tidarat. “The roadmap will consider the HR Value Proposition in terms of the related operating model, defining gaps and closing the gaps. These all need to be aligned and be suitable for short-term and long-term strategies.”

Published : October 11, 2021

Whyborder is reinventing cross-border property purchases by connecting digital savvy buyers with developers #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/pr-news/business/40007354


Started in 2020, whyborder is an innovative web-based platform built to facilitate more cross-border real estate business opportunities for developers

Whyborder, a borderless property marketing platform, is opening the door to the region’s first international reverse bidding auction platform for properties. Global property buyers seeking purchase opportunities can connect with overseas developers who are offering premium discounted deals via whyborder. The first group of Thai properties to be listed for the auction are Maru Ladprao 15, Manor Sanambinnam, Hyde Sukhumvit 11, Supalai Oriental Sukhumvit 39, Supalai Elite Surawong & Supalai Prime Rama 9.

Started in 2020, whyborder is an innovative web-based platform built to facilitate more cross-border real estate business opportunities for developers, agents, sellers and buyers. Led by a team of experienced real estate professionals on a mission to transform the industry by providing greater transparency in property deals, whyborder opens up information that was previously difficult to access. The platform allows international buyers to view live virtual tours, videos, photos of interiors of properties, floor plans and construction documents, and to better understand districts and their proximity to mass transit, shopping malls, schools, and famous landmarks, so users can better assess and understand the property before making a purchase decision. Buyers can also liaise with agents and developers to address any specific concerns they may have or questions they want to ask. Already, there is a wide range of properties spanning 54 cities and covering 6,173 districts, 555 train lines, 9,537 train stations, and 9,649 landmarks listed on whyborder.com.

With travel restrictions still in place in many countries and the oversupply of properties in Thailand, whyborder offers a rare opportunity for investors and buyers to purchase properties at ideal prices directly from developers both from within and outside their home country.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prior to the pandemic the Thailand property market was booming with new developments popping up across the country with many eager buyers on hand to snap them up. But this all changed with the onset of the pandemic and the economic downturn it brought with it. Developers were left with a sizeable inventory of unsold units and buyers locked out of the country. This has led to a stockpile of available units sitting in the market, currently there are 30% unsold units in Thailand. The economic impact of the pandemic also saw a weakening of the Thai baht.

But the slowdown has given developers time to rethink and reassess what buyers are looking for, with one trend being a desire for low-rise condominiums. Located outside of the CBD, these units offer bigger living areas and more outdoor space, something that became a necessity in the work or study from home situation that came with the pandemic. Many analysts believe this trend will continue post-pandemic as people settle into a new way of living and working.

This of course does not signal an end to luxury high-rise condominiums in the CBD, far from it, they will still be the preferred choice for those seeking an urban life and the lifestyle these units provide, but what the changes in the market show is that there are now more choices emerging and that leaves keen buyers with more options. Moreover, with the Thai baht currently weaker, now is the perfect time for savvy international buyers to enter the market before a post-pandemic boom kicks off.

One of the unique highlights of whyborder is the whybid auction system which differs from any other in the market, the bids are in reverse order, going down to lower buying prices, not higher. The winning bid gets the featured condo, while all other bidders will be offered other recommended condos in the same property. There is consistently a high number of condos available in the system and the Thailand auctions will be available in 7 countries at the same time, giving access to a large number of motivated buyers and whyborder/whybid has a large database of buyers/investors in those 7 countries. Local agencies handle all purchase details and transactions – currently, Nexus is the Thai partner property agent.

As whyborder is a completely web-based service it makes the entire process easier and more streamlined easy for foreign buyers to bid on and buy the properties they want all from the comfort of their home outside of Thailand. Every aspect has been thought of, from viewing and comparing properties and researching districts, right down to providing local lawyers for immediate and free expert advice via the chat system, all of which ensures a seamless buying experience that gives confidence to the buyers. Once bidding closes the buyer who placed the highest bid above the seller’s reserve price will be the property owner. Due to the technology innovations employed by whyborder, the entire transaction will be completed in just two months, which is half the time it usually takes. The first whybid auction will be taking place from 08 to 15 October 2021.

Mr.Dave Loo, Founder and CEO of whyborder.com said “Buying properties is a major decision, our goal is to facilitate a better decision making process by offering transparency and a wealth of information and features to make buying and selling accessible to all, no matter where in the world they are located. Pre-pandemic, the Thailand real estate market was booming and had been on the rise for a long time. As a result, there was a surge in domestic and foreign investors all looking for a piece of the pie. The real estate market in Thailand offers a variety of opportunities for buyers from luxury high-rise condominiums to low-rise condominiums, houses, and villas in top tourist destinations such as Phuket and Koh Samui. Investors had been flocking to Thailand to purchase a holiday home or a piece for real estate for rental yield. This led to a solid Thai Baht pre-pandemic, and new developments were launching left, right and, centre. Top property developers brought massive land areas near major public transportations stations and new condos were rapidly launched, and it became overwhelming to buyers with so many condos to choose from. The onset of the pandemic saw the market plateau signalling a significant shift in buyer behaviour which required developers to pivot and align with new trends and demands. This called for a change, there needed to be some new thinking and approaches both to the types of properties being built and how to connect with buyers, especially those locked out of the country due to border restrictions. Developers have been quick to jump on the trend for low-rise condominiums outside of the CBD to cater to those seeking a new way of life, one that was triggered by the pandemic but shows all the signs of continuing once it passes. We created whyborder to be the conduit between motivated overseas buyers and developers keen to sell their properties as well as meet their need in all aspects.”

Ms.Butsarin Rungrattanakul, Director (Marketing and Sales) of Supalai Development said “This is good opportunity for us to collaborate with an innovative partner on the pulse of what is needed in the Thailand real estate market today and into the future. The pandemic had a significant impact when it came to foreign buyers and investors as they could not gain entry to Thailand to view properties and go through all the purchase requirements in person, whyborder’s offering now eliminates that roadblock and opens up a world of new opportunities for property developers like us. Thailand’s borders may be closed to prospective offshore buyers, but now we’re open for business and we’re ready to welcome them online through whyborder.”

Published : October 11, 2021

Samitivej is a Virtual Hospital pioneer, giving patients 24-hour access to online teleconsultations with our 642 doctors #SootinClaimon.Com

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/pr-news/business/40007351


#AnywhereAnytime and reemphasizing our commitment to being a hospital of innovation.

Chairat Panthuraamphorn, M.D., Managing Director and CEO of Samitivej and BNH Hospitals, remarked that, “Samitivej has a vision to innovate continuously in order to respond to the ever-changing situation in the present, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic whereby people are fearful of visiting the hospital but still require seeing their doctors. This has led to the Samitivej Virtual Hospital taking on greater prominence. As such, we have developed its functions and capabilities to reflect those changes.”

Samitivej Virtual Hospital offers a comprehensive range of services, including 24-hour access to consult doctors online in real-time. This enables patients to seek advice from our roster of 642 doctors representing 51 fields of specialty. In this way, patients can consult our doctors regarding general health concerns, such as a headache, fever or asthma, as well as more specialized issues, such as dermatological concerns, gastrointestinal issues, psychological problems, office syndrome, or pediatric concerns. Our patients are now also able to make insurance claims for these services as we have agreements in place with 13 leading insurance providers. Moreover, we offer Test@Home services for home blood testing, and medicine delivery through the Samitivej Virtual Hospital’s partnership with Save Drug, a pharmacy and health products store operating within the BDMS group. Because Save Drug has branches throughout Thailand, rapid delivery times can be achieved to ensure the utmost convenience to our patients.

Samitivej is a Virtual Hospital pioneer, giving patients 24-hour access to online teleconsultations with our 642 doctorsSamitivej is a Virtual Hospital pioneer, giving patients 24-hour access to online teleconsultations with our 642 doctors

ADVERTISEMENT

You can quickly and conveniently access our services #AnywhereAnytime through the following channels:

● Samitivej Plus Application, which is the main channel

● LINE @Samitivej

● Samitivej website at https://www.samitivejhospitals.com.

Samitivej is a Virtual Hospital pioneer, giving patients 24-hour access to online teleconsultations with our 642 doctorsSamitivej is a Virtual Hospital pioneer, giving patients 24-hour access to online teleconsultations with our 642 doctors

Chairat Panthuraamphorn, M.D., added that, “The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive growth in the number of patients, with Samitivej Virtual Hospital statistics showing a 221% increase between August 2020 and August 2021. The most common health concerns brought up in teleconsultations were dermatological, gastrointestinal, and pediatric concerns. However, there has also been a significant upturn in the number of consultations being sought in regard to both adult and childhood mental health, as a result of the transformation of lifestyle habits brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Up to 95% of patients have stated their willingness to tell others about this service, showing how telemedicine technologies are set to continue growing in response to the evolving needs of our patients. Samitivej is therefore committed to future developments that will place us at the forefront of this evolution through the adoption of the latest innovations and technologies that will help create value for society and our community and reflect our focus on being an agile organization of value and our vision that ‘we do not want anyone to get sick.’”

Samitivej is a Virtual Hospital pioneer, giving patients 24-hour access to online teleconsultations with our 642 doctorsSamitivej is a Virtual Hospital pioneer, giving patients 24-hour access to online teleconsultations with our 642 doctors

Samitivej Virtual Hospital was launched in March 2019 and has since undergone constant development. We provide a comprehensive range of healthcare services capable of improving the lives of our patients with utmost speed and convenience. This focus on innovation has seen Samitivej Virtual Hospital recognized at home and abroad, recently receiving the following 4 awards:

● Prime Minister’s Export Award 2021: Best Service Enterprise Award (Health & Wellness) for outstanding healthcare services offered through Samitivej Virtual Hospital, Samitivej Plus App and Precision Medicine.

● Product Innovation Awards 2021: For outstanding Samitivej Virtual Hospital healthcare services.

● GlobalHealth Asia – Pacific Awards 2021: Smart Hospital of the Year in the Asia-Pacific region.

● Thailand Digital Excellence Awards 2020: Thai Digital Champion for Business Innovation.

For more information please contact 0-2022-2222

Published : October 11, 2021