Wong Fatt-heng, Head of Sub-Region 3 of Roche Diagnostics and General Manager of Roche Diagnostics (Shanghai) Ltd, topped the monthlong vote for the most influential expats in Shanghai, which ended on January 16.

The Malaysian, who takes charge of business development and management for Roche Diagnostics on China’s mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, polled 861,443 votes, almost 300,000 votes more than the first runner-up.

Before joining Roche Diagnostics, Wong was a Medical Technologist as well as Director of the Clinical Laboratory at the East Shore Hospital in Singapore.

“The result is so impressive because the entire company is voting for me — not only our own staff but also their families, friends and our business partners,” he says. “It is amazing to have such a good team. I am touched. It is such a passionate voting.”

Actually, Wong is not only recognized by his staff and colleagues but also the Shanghai government, which honored him with a Magnolia Silver Award in 2011 and a Magnolia Gold Award in 2013.

Magnolia Award is the highest reward that Shanghai government gives to foreigners for their outstanding contribution to the city’s economic and social development.

“I am extremely proud of receiving the Magnolia Award, which is a full recognition to me and our company for what we have done in China,” Wong says. “Our mission is to help patients improve their health by introducing the cutting-edge technologies to China. We bring our technology and products to benefit the public and improve the efficiency of China’s healthcare.”

According to Wong, his company is able to introduce a leading technology from abroad to China in only 12 to 15 months for registration. His responsibility is to choose the right products for China, where laboratory products, capability and management still lag behind developed countries.

Wong cites a recent case of a 5-year-old girl in Fujian Province who was infected with the HIV virus through a blood transfusion during surgery for her congenital heart disease when she was a baby. The blood donor was in the window period, so the test at that time failed to identify the virus.

Wong says Roche Diagnostics started to participate in a pilot program, which was set up by the National Health Authority in 2010 covering blood centers in 12 provinces and municipalities including Shanghai and Beijing, by introducing a nucleic acid test, or NAT, that can greatly shorten the window period, compared with traditional methods.

The technology is going to be promoted all over China this year in order to further improve blood safety and protect people’s health, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said recently.

So far, Roche Diagnostics’ NAT has screened over 5 million blood samples in China, and 25 cases of HIV infection were detected because the window period was shortened. There were also many more reports of samples with hepatitis B and hepatitis C under the new method.

“Running a company is a business, so we should be responsible for our stakeholders,” Wong says. “But we are a healthcare company. So our mission is much more than making money. We also must improve the quality of medical service and help patients. Our technology can help prevent some people from suffering the same tragedy like the little girl.”

Roche Diagnostics now covers 40 percent of the market for NAT blood testing in China.

The company always takes a view to social responsibility. It gives donations and delivers products whenever disasters take place in China and has a role in medical education in China by sponsoring medical research fund and giving medical students scholarships in 18 domestic universities.

Many key opinion leaders are able to participate in big meetings through the communication platform built by Roche Diagnostics to share and learn the latest developments in healthcare.

“Diagnostics is extremely important in modern society, as 70 percent of the medical decision is made based on the result of various tests. The development of diagnostic tools can greatly help doctors make the right decision and help patients,” Wong says. “I am so proud of the industry I am working in and hope China can have more excellent professionals on diagnostics.”

Wong himself is a visiting professor in five domestic universities, including Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Wenzhou Medical College in Zhejiang Province.

Roche Diagnostics also participates in medical reform in China, which is decentralizing many medical services from big hospitals to community and small hospitals to allow patients to receive diagnosis and treatment more conveniently and economically.

“In addition to big hospitals, we are also working with many independent laboratories to cater to the demand of small hospitals,” Wong says.

He is excited about the quick development of China and its healthcare sector.

“We observe the rapid growth of the healthcare market and expansion in China. The market is growing faster than anywhere in the world,” he says.

Roche Diagnostics entered China in 2000. It developed quickly from a company with over 100 staff to the current 1,800 employees. The business revenue grew by double digit a year from 100 million yuan (US$15.99 million) to last year’s 7 billion yuan.

“Roche Diagnostics’ business in China ranks second, following the United States in Roche Diagnostics global. My ambition is to bring our company to a higher level and surpass the US to prove that Chinese has the potentials to do better. We have the market and the talent to do it. We only should work harder,” he says.

Wong says he has a strong passion for China.

“I am a Malaysian Chinese and I always keep in mind when I’m doing business to conduct myself with self-discipline and social commitment. I follow a principle, a famous word in China — hou de zai wu — which means a man should seek improvement with honesty and virtue,” he says. “I want my team to become the best and my company to become the best in Roche Diagnostics global and the entire industry.

“The key is to look for a value chain that allows all people in the chain to create value to themselves, to the company and to our stakeholders,” says the Malaysian.

Roche Diagnostics

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare, with strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. It has two parts — Roche Pharmaceuticals and Roche Diagnostics, which offers diagnostic tests along the entire healthcare chain.

Roche Diagnostics entered China in 2000, when Roche Diagnostics (Shanghai) Ltd was established. Now it has business in over 70 cities with 1,800 employees.

Its mission in China is to increase test efficiency, improve medical value and offer differentiated services with high quality to customers. It reached over 7 billion yuan (US$1.13 billion) sales revenue in China last year. Its slogan is “doing now what patients need next.”

Roche Diagnostics has been named the top employer for five consecutive years in China.