On a wall in Datuk Dr. Jacob Thomas at Ara Damansara Medical Center hangs a large display of awards and souvenirs he has collected from around the world.
Every article tells a story. When asked which are the most memorable, Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care’s (RSDH) group medical advisor holds up a small pin engraved with “Vice President of the United States”.
“This was given to me by a member of the US Secret Service when former Vice President Al Gore visited Malaysia in 1998. We were near the helipad on the roof of the Subang Jaya Medical Center, which was assigned to him as a hospital. ”Recalls Dr. Jacob, who was the hospital’s executive director at the time and would later be appointed CEO.
In the following years he rose, achieved many career milestones and received numerous awards, most recently in January of this year as chairman of the Joint Commission International Board (JCI).
The first Malaysian in this position is Dr. Jacob has been a member of the Executive Board since 2014.
Recognized as the gold standard in hospital accreditation, JCI is a division of the Joint Commission that is widely recognized as the world’s most trusted name in accreditation.
JCI represents a global consensus on quality patient care that reflects advanced health practices and delivery trends that enable companies to excel.
From ensuring the efficiency of hospital machinery to performing staff checks, JCI is conducting a thorough survey of hospitals hoping for accreditation.
“JCI is a body that reviews all of your credentials,” explains Dr. Jacob. “How do you make sure your patients are safe, how infections are controlled in the hospital, that was something they started that got more and more popular.”
“There are bodies that do this locally, for example the Malaysian Society for Quality and Health, which is a Malaysian accreditation body.”
“The role of JCI is to make sure patients are safe, that the hospital has best practices in place when a patient complains, people take care of it, and make sure your doctors are vetted to be competent.”
The surveys are carried out by three experts who spend five days in the hospital and examine everything in each individual department, from the calibration of your X-ray equipment to the functionality of your fire extinguishers.
“They check how safe your hospital is, check your sprinklers and between the rooms to see if there is a partition in the ceiling, a smoke barrier. Before I was on the board, I saw the surveyors, a team consisting of a doctor, a nurse and an engineer, at work. You prop up a ladder, climb to the ceiling and see what’s going on inside, ”explains Dr. Jacob.
The appointment as chairman is an honor, says Dr. Jacob.
“To be part of it, not just for me, but for the country and the hospital. It’s a great honor, not everyone is selected for it. “
“Many, many things have really satisfied me as if I were getting involved in something that draws attention to our region and the country.”
A lifetime in healthcare
Compliance with health standards is a passion of Dr. Jacob, who has served in the armed forces, public and private healthcare for more than 40 years.
Today, in addition to his role at RSDH, he works closely with various NGOs and government agencies to promote the Malaysian health care system locally and internationally, and is also a member of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) steering committee for health care.
Dr. Jacob’s dream was to become an ENT specialist, and he was well on his way to pursuing that goal when life took an unexpected turn.
“I’ve always wanted to be a surgeon. I have two older brothers, the oldest is an ophthalmologist and my deceased second brother was an orthopedic surgeon, he was the head of orthopedics for all of Malaysia, who died shortly after his retirement. “
He was awarded a scholarship to work for a famous ENT surgeon in the UK and was ready to take this trip when his hand was badly injured in a robbery at his home.
A small selection of the many memorabilia that Dr. Jacob has been given over the years.
“When my son was eight months old, five robbers broke in, and when I tried to stop one from stabbing me, I got his knife,” recalls Dr. Jacob. “He pulled the knife away and let three of my fingers dangle.”
Hand surgery restored movement of one finger, but two remain stiff to this day.
“So I had to give up my desire to become an ENT doctor, but when I look back now, I realize that it is God’s way of saying that this way is not for me, so I went this administrative route and have no regrets . ”
Dr. Jacob is passionate about helping others in any way possible, whether through recommendations from doctors to friends and family, or through listening to troubled souls.
“One thing that gives me satisfaction and joy is helping people. The staff is friendly to me and I greet everyone, whether in housekeeping or a top surgeon, ”says Dr. Jacob recounting an incident where he cried a switchboard operator because her husband had left her.
“She had two young children and didn’t know what to do and had no one to talk to, and I sat with her and we talked. When I saw her years later, she said that afterwards she had become strong and that her two children had graduated, which made me very happy, ”recalls Dr. Jacob.
“I am a human being. Whatever I’ve done, what I’ve achieved, when in the end I can help someone else or give advice, that’s what I enjoy most. “
He attributes this quality to his parents, who never hesitated to help others in need even though they were not wealthy themselves.
His father, an engineer, always found time to speak to the workers and gardeners who lived in the same neighborhood and advise them on saving.
“We came from a poor family, when I was a little boy I only had one pair of shoes and when they got wet in the rain I had to wash them and put them on the stove to dry. We didn’t have a phone in the house and I watched TV in the house next door, but I’m grateful to my parents for the role model and the education. “
These are the values that Dr. Jacob and his wife Datin Dr. Indira Verghese, an ophthalmologist, taught her two children.
“That rubbed off on us without teaching them. They saw us how we deal with those who need help, which I learned from my parents. “
“We have made an education for our children, made sure that they can stand on their own two feet, what more can you do?”
The memorial wall in his office bears witness to the popular and respected personality that many know him as.
“My wife saw all of this and she told me that when you retire, please don’t bring any of it home,” he jokes.
For someone so dedicated to their work, it is hard to imagine that Dr. Jacob retires.
When asked if he would like to stop working in the near future, Dr. Jacob: “I’m scared of retiring. As soon as I retire, I start to rot, ”he adds with a laugh.
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/datuk-dr-jacob-thomas-is-committed-to-keeping-healthcare-standards-high-in-malaysia/
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