SOS to ramp up healthcare efforts

Goal is to enhance the resilience of employees and organizations in COVID-19 era

International SOS Group, a provider of healthcare and security services, including emergency medical care, is upbeat about the Chinese market, and plans to expand its investment in the country.

The larger goal is to strengthen the resilience of employees and organizations in China so they could overcome health and related risks brought by COVID-19.

Joel Gosset, managing director of International SOS Greater China, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has put employees' health and resilience at the heart of organizations' business continuity, and as Chinese companies are resuming their business overseas, International SOS is very well positioned to support Chinese organizations.

"We are accelerating our penetration into Chinese organizations, providing them with integrated medical and security information, assistance, tele-consultation, training, advisory and consultancy services, to enable them to continue to do business in today's dynamically challenging world. All of that contributes to workforce resilience."

Since the end of February 2020, Chinese companies had started to resume their operations overseas. Major projects in railway, chemical, power generation, metallurgical industry, and construction all resumed in an orderly manner.

International SOS said that despite the worldwide challenges, most globalized Chinese companies have maintained their overseas presence, especially in the extractive sector, critical for the development of China's economy through energy, metals and technology.

On Feb 27, 2020, Power China officially started its wind power project in Argentina, marking the largest project of its kind in Latin America. Two days later, China Railway Construction Corp Ltd launched its copper mine project in Ecuador.

To help Chinese companies' global workforce cultivate resilience and maintain business continuity during the COVID-19 period, International SOS has been offering global medical and security risk management expertise.

According to a report released by International SOS, due to COVID-19, health and security risks faced by the workforce in 2020 were said to be at a five-year high, and will worsen this year, a concern most acutely felt in Asia, especially among those responsible for assignees and business travelers.

Neil Nerwich, group medical director at International SOS, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has created a tripartite of crises, with public health, geopolitical and economic crises all impacting the workforce and business on a global scale. Organizations will need to go through an evolution in their Duty of Care provisions. Just as 9/11 changed the way that employers saw their Duty of Care with respect to security issues, so the pandemic is destined to have a lasting change in employers' approach to employee health threats."

According to the Department of Health Quarantine of the General Administration of Customs, Chinese enterprises that send their employees overseas should enhance administration and guidance of employees, conduct epidemic analysis, and monitor employees' health conditions regularly.

Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that in 2020, the number of China's newly signed overseas infrastructure construction projects surpassed 5,500, entailing deals worth $255.5 billion.

"China has provided a vast market for the world and has gradually become the main stabilizer and engine for global economic growth. China continues to attract the world's top multinationals seeking to establish a presence and expand their footprint in the world's second-largest economy. China's expanding market and improving business environment has made the country a magnet for foreign investors. It is also a competitive environment and Chinese domestic players are also raising the stakes," Gosset said.

"We see China as one of the most important and strategic markets. We are confident that our operations in China will continue to see accelerated growth," he said.