Fighting fit and driven by fear of being broke again

Co-owner of two clinics says volatility and liquidity create chance for outsized returns

- Rosalind Ang

Mr Andrew Chim is a co-owner and director of four general practitioner clinics, but he is not a doctor.

He started the I-Health clinics with a friend, who is a doctor, and the friend's wife, who is a nurse, because he was looking for a high level of healthcare that focuses on service quality and good communication.

A bout of sickness when he was in his 20s led him to a string of clinics that did their jobs, but with a level of patient care and communication that was lower than he preferred.

"Many doctors are trained to be clinical in their diagnosis but not trained to be communicative - I want clinics where doctors are emotionally intelligent and able to win the patients' trust," he said, adding that I-Health provides training to clinic staff and doctors on patient-centred service.

I-Health's first clinic opened in Boon Keng in 2019. It has two more clinics - in Yishun and Serangoon North - and, come July, a fourth clinic will open in Tampines.

Mr Chim, 38, is driven by his experiences when he was growing up. His family was almost kicked out of their home when he was a teenager because his father faced bankruptcy after a failed business.

Their situation worsened some years later, when Mr Chim's father was diagnosed with cancer and died. Mr Chim was just 25 then and doing his national service.

However, he never felt the full impact of these challenges as his housewife mother worked hard to support the family - which includes his two older siblings - and they were able to tide themselves over the tough times with money from his late father's Central Provident Fund account.

The ordeal ignited a fire in him - he was determined to never find himself in such a situation again.

"I'm very afraid of being broke, because I know what that feels like - that's the feeling that drives me," said Mr Chim.

His grit landed him a Public Service Commission scholarship.