Malaysia has great potential in medical tourism

Medical tourism has been identified as having the potential of being a revenue generator for the country due to the response shown by foreigners who seek quality healthcare services.

Foreigners come to Malaysia for medical tourism due to the low costs of healthcare services, complemented by existence of excellent medical technology and infrastructure.

The outcome of a survey conducted by a foreign-based body reveals that heart procedures conducted in Malaysia are 10 times cheaper than those conducted in the United States.

Indonesian tourists comprise the highest number of those seeking Malaysian healthcare services followed by visitors from Arab nations.

Statistics show that in 2010, some 60% of 280,000 tourists to Malaysia went to Malacca for medical treatment while Kuala Lumpur is the destination of choice for Arab tourists.

“Many foreigners choose Malaysia for elective medical procedures particularly cancer, orthopaedic and cosmetic treatment,” said KPJ Healthcare (KPJ) managing director Datin Paduka Siti Sa'adiah Sheikh Bakir.

As the Arabs prefer Malaysia as their destination for shopping, Siti Sa'adiah said that it was time for Malaysia to promote the medical tourism sector aggressively. “KPJ has been actively promoting its services to the Arab community for more than 10 years now,” she said.
Source: Bernama