The Orchard Road clinic outlines a goal-based alternative to off-the-shelf test packages*
SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 22 October 2026 - Hisential Clinics Singapore, a doctor-led health screening and men's health clinic at Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Road, has outlined its goal-based approach to men's preventive health ahead of Movember 2026. As consumer platforms market standardised blood test panels directly to the public, the clinic is highlighting the role of doctor-led risk stratification, physical examination and long-term follow-up in effective health screening. Group Medical Director Dr Julian Ng is available for interviews during November to discuss the approach.
Each November, Movember campaigns encourage men to see a doctor. Health outcomes for men, however, have been slow to improve, according to the clinic. The clinic attributes this gap partly to preventive health having followed a consumerist route. Digital wellness platforms now sell blood tests the way meal-kit apps sell dinners: a panel is selected, purchased and delivered. Screening is packaged like phone plans, tiered and compared by item counts. The underlying assumption is that a health check is a product.
"The first question we ask is not which package are you here for. It is what is the goal," Dr Ng said. "A thirty-five-year-old with a family history of heart disease and a fit fifty-year-old with none do not need the same tests. They need the same conversation. Everything that follows, what we test, what we watch, when we see you again, is built backwards from that answer."
The clinical case against off-the-shelf testing is straightforward: medicine is not just blood tests. A number on a report means different things in different bodies. The same cholesterol reading can be reassuring for one man and a warning for another, depending on his age, family history, blood pressure, and what a doctor finds on examination.
This is risk stratification, and it is why the physical examination still matters in an age of app-ordered panels. A murmur heard through a stethoscope, a detail no mail-order test captures, can change how a doctor interprets a cholesterol reading and what target is appropriate for that patient. Without the examination and the history, screening becomes numbers without medical context.
"Men come to us carrying printouts from testing platforms, sometimes anxious over a value that means very little for them, sometimes reassured by one that should have prompted more questions," Dr Ng said. "A blood test is a tool, not a diagnosis. It only becomes medicine when somebody takes the time to place it in the context of the person standing in front of them."
The men who avoid screening appointments are often disciplined in other areas of life, the clinic has observed. What they avoid is being processed: selecting a package from a menu and leaving with numbers nobody explained.
Hisential's answer is a different kind of appointment. At the Mandarin Gallery clinic, a consultation is built around two things: the goal, and the time to reach it. Time with the practitioner matters twice over. The first question a man asks is usually the safe one he rehearsed, often about cholesterol. The question that actually brought him in surfaces once he trusts the doctor and sees there is time for the answer. Most health systems never hear the second question.
The consultation also builds structure for what follows. Doctor and patient agree on what is being monitored, the patient's baseline, and what happens at the next check. Patients who leave with that structure keep the habit, the clinic finds. Prevention, in this model, is a series of future decisions set up in advance.
The approach speaks to a wider conversation in Singapore about healthspan, healthy years rather than simply years. Healthspan is not bought in a single transaction, according to the clinic. It is built through understanding one's health numbers, what they mean in context, and catching quiet changes early, when the response can still be small. That requires a practitioner who knows a patient's goals and history, not a panel that knows neither.
"The men who do best in preventive health are not the ones who bought the biggest test package on day one," Dr Ng said. "They are the ones who left with their questions answered, a goal defined, and a reason to return. Everything after that is easy."
The clinic's view is that men's health services more broadly would benefit from the same shift: fewer standardised packages, more appointments and relationships worth keeping.
Hisential Clinics Singapore provides doctor-led health screening and men's health services at Mandarin Gallery, 333A Orchard Road. Interviews with Dr Julian Ng, Group Medical Director, can be arranged on request.
Hashtag: #MensHealth #HealthScreening #Movember
https://hisential.sg
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hisential
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Hisential Clinics Singapore
Hisential Clinics Singapore offers doctor-led health screening and men's health services at Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Road. More information: https://hisential.sg/health-screening
** This press release is distributed by Media OutReach Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire - 22 October 2026 – Vincom Retail has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for strategic cooperation with QooQoo Franchise Group, the company behind a network of nearly 90 premium buffet restaurants in South Korea. The agreement marks a step toward developing large-scale dining concepts across Vincom's retail properties through 2027.
Representatives of Vincom Retail and QooQoo Franchise Group at the MOU signing ceremony.
Bringing International Dining Concepts to Vietnam
The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Kim Young-gi, Chairman of QooQoo Franchise Group, and Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hien, Deputy CEO of Sales at Vincom Retail.
Under the agreement, the two companies will explore opportunities to introduce restaurant chains from the QooQoo portfolio to shopping malls and commercial districts managed by Vincom Retail. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will be the primary focus markets during the 2026–2027 period. The partnership will give QooQoo an opportunity to expand into a market of more than 100 million people through Vietnam's largest retail property network. At the same time, it will allow Vincom Retail to diversify its tenant portfolio with established international dining concepts backed by proven operational capabilities.
Notably, the partnership will also extend to trade promotion between Vietnam and South Korea. Vincom Retail will support QooQoo's brand promotion efforts in Vietnam, while QooQoo will help introduce Vincom's shopping mall network to South Korean consumers and businesses. This two-way arrangement is expected to strengthen QooQoo's brand awareness in Vietnam while creating opportunities for Vincom Retail to build deeper connections with South Korean brands, business partners, and retail investors.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Kim Young-gi, Chairman of QooQoo Franchise Group, described the partnership as an important milestone in the company's strategy to expand into Vietnam. With Vincom Retail's extensive shopping mall network and experience working with international brands, QooQoo hopes to bring its distinctive Korean dining concepts closer to Vietnamese consumers, particularly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The group also aims to serve as a bridge in promoting Vincom's retail network in South Korea, helping facilitate trade cooperation and create opportunities for long-term growth for both companies.
The agreement comes as experiential dining continues to gain popularity, with consumers increasingly visiting shopping malls not only to shop but also to discover new experiences and destinations. With its distinctive dining concepts and proven track record in restaurant chain operations in South Korea, QooQoo is expected to bring a fresh dining experience to Vietnam and further enhance the appeal of Vincom's retail destinations.
More International Dining Experiences Coming to Vincom
Founded in 2011, QooQoo Franchise Group is a leading South Korean company specializing in food services and restaurant franchising. The group is widely known for its sushi buffet concept, which offers a diverse selection of dishes in a single dining venue.
QooQoo currently operates a network of approximately 90 franchised restaurants across South Korea. In 2024, system-wide revenue reached KRW 397.6 billion (approximately VND 7 trillion). The company has also recorded average annual revenue growth of more than 30% since 2022, reflecting the strength of its operations and continued network expansion.
Beyond its QooQoo sushi buffet brand, the group has developed a broader dining portfolio that includes Blue Rail, a conveyor-belt sushi chain, and Always Shabu, a restaurant chain specializing in hot pot. Its business activities also extend to food imports, distribution, and e-commerce. By developing an integrated supply chain and franchise support system, QooQoo has strengthened its ability to manage ingredient sourcing, maintain quality standards, and oversee restaurant operations.
In South Korea, QooQoo Premium Buffet has earned numerous industry accolades, including six consecutive wins at the Brand of the Year Awards in the sushi buffet category. The brand has also appeared multiple times on Maeil Business Newspaper's list of 100 leading franchise brands and received ministerial-level awards in 2024 and 2025.
For Vincom Retail, the addition of QooQoo would do more than bring another major international F&B brand into its portfolio. It would also create opportunities to introduce new restaurant concepts to the Vietnamese market. Leveraging its extensive retail property network, customer reach, and experience working with international brands, Vincom Retail supports its partners in identifying suitable locations, expanding their market presence, and building brand awareness.
In turn, QooQoo's experience in restaurant chain management, supply chain capabilities, and diverse brand portfolio are expected to further enrich the dining options available at Vincom shopping malls, making them more attractive to families and consumers eager to explore international cuisines.
Hashtag: #VincomRetail
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
** This press release is distributed by Media OutReach Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
