Present at the event was YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia who awarded 30 healthcare facilitators with the certificate of participation for completing the first session of the programme.
The programme is a product of the Memorandum of Understanding between MHTC and MATTA, signed on 17 November 2021.
The healthcare travel industry possesses great potential as a key export service sector to catalyse economic growth and impact multiple industries.
YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia said that with the high quality and affordable healthcare services Malaysia has to offer, he envisioned that healthcare travel and tourism will promote better economic growth as the country recovers from the pandemic.
Collaborative opportunities, such as this programme, creates a synergy between agencies under the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia in playing
their pertinent role to rebuild Malaysia’s economy.
Malaysia has been a preferred destination for healthcare travellers around the world, amassing a total of 1,220,000 healthcare travellers in 2019.
Known for delivering world-class quality healthcare services which are both easily accessible and competitively affordable, Malaysia is fortifying its healthcare offerings through capacity building to offer the Best Malaysia Healthcare Travel Experience.
Since the pandemic, Malaysia has strived to provide continuity of care for international patients through a stringently monitored medical travel bubble.
With the borders now reopened, the programme comes at an opportune time as it equips tour and travel agents with the essential knowledge, skills, and tools to service the rapidly re-growth in demand for healthcare travel.
The Health Facilitator Training Programme is a capacity-building effort aimed at equipping tour and travel agents with the necessary knowledge, skills and thereafter providing services to returning and potential healthcare travellers who recognise Malaysia as a safe and trusted destination for healthcare.
Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer, MHTC said their intention is essentially to ensure a seamless end-to-end ecosystem is built addressing and facilitating every healthcare traveller need coming into Malaysia.
The project is that healthcare travel will generate about RM2 billion in revenue by 2025.
Hence, this collaboration with MATTA and its members is crucial in setting the foundation in making this a reality. They look forward to continuing this significant collaboration with MATTA
for healthcare travellers to experience the best of Malaysia Healthcare.
The Health Facilitator Training Programme scheduled to be conducted over 3 sessions kick-started with the first session attended by 31 tour and travel agents completing the stint in April 2022.
These trainings are planned across the Central, Northern and Southern Regions as well as in East Malaysia.
MATTA recognises the value of the nation’s healthcare travel industry in recovering from the
pandemic. With the Health Facilitator Training Programme, their members recognise that beyond the travel attractions Malaysia has, there is also a strong pull in their quality healthcare offerings that is affordable and easily accessible.
The Programme helps to address the gaps within the support services of the healthcare travel ecosystem and provides immeasurable benefits to their businesses in addressing the growing influx of international travellers coming into Malaysia for healthcare treatments.
MATTA President Datuk Tan Kok Liang said they are very extremely pleased to be working with MHTC and look forward to reaping the benefits of this programme for the country.
This program is a part of MATTA’s strategic plan to help its members tap into new high-value
markets and to take advantage of new and emerging tourism trends post-COVID-19.
This strategic collaboration with MHTC is a good example of how the private and public sectors can work together for the greater benefit of the nation he added.
Tags: Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA)
