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WHY CHOOSE THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET:
Health Tourism: Malaysia Attracts Patients from the Middle East
Private hospitals in Malaysia offer a wide range of healthcare services ranging from medical screening to state-of-the-art curative services at a reasonable cost compared to similar services in many other countries...
By Naved Hasan in Dubai
The Malaysian tourism industry has become one of the fastest growing industries within the services sector in recent years. Riding on the rising number of tourists flocking into Malaysia from countries like Thailand, China, Indonesia, Singapore, India and the Middle East, the tourism industry has rapidly gained in stature and is today recognised as the second largest income spinner for the Malaysian economy contributing as much as RM43 billion to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
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| A delegation from the Association of Private Hospitals in Malaysia (APHM) toured the Middle East countries recently. Here they are seen during a presentation in Dubai |
However, in recent years there has been a qualitative change in the nature of visitors travelling to Malaysia. Earlier, most of the tourists to Malaysia were mostly interested in travel packages and tourist attractions. Today, the situation is changing – the tourism industry now covers a variety of new sectors, which the government has identified as key growth areas to improve the country’s buoyant tourism industry. One of the potential growth areas earmarked by the government under the Eighth Malaysia Plan (8MP) is health tourism. This sector has been identified by government planners to emerge as a leading foreign exchange earner for the Malaysia’s expanding tourism industry in years to come.
However, Malaysia is seen as a newcomer in the health tourism sector and the concept is still relatively new in Malaysia. Competition in the sector is also stiff as neighbouring countries like Thailand and Singapore have been promoting their health tourism sector by offering a wide range of attractive medical care packages to foreign visitors. As more and more countries realise the economic benefits of promoting the health tourism sector, the competition is going to get even more intense in the future. Hungary, for example, declared 2003 as the Year of Health Tourism in a bid to cash in on the rising demand worldwide for quality healthcare.
Not to be left behind in the race, the Malaysian government is making all out efforts to promote health tourism in overseas markets through campaigns, roadshows and trade and investment missions. Countries in the Southeast Asian region and those in the Middle East have been identified as the biggest potential markets for attracting visitors to Malaysia’s nascent health tourism sector.
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| Dr. Ridwan Bakar, President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) speaking at a presentation in Dubai |
“For visitors from the Middle East, there are many advantages in choosing Malaysia for private health and medical requirements,” says Datuk Dr. Ridzwan Bakar, President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM). “Medical charges and hospitalisation costs in Malaysia are very competitive compared to those in many developed countries. Malaysian medical expertise is also ranked among the best in the world. For example, a normal cardiac bypass surgery (CABG) in Malaysia would cost in the region of $6,OOO – $7,OOO only. On the other hand, the same treatment would cost substantially more in many other parts of the world. The favourable exchange rate of approximately RM3.80 to a dollar make treatment in Malaysia much more attractive,” he says.
His views are echoed by Stuart Pack, Chief Executive Officer of Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, one of the leading hospitals in Kuala Lumpur. “The availability of world class medical facilities backed by qualified doctors and friendly nurses has played an instrumental role in attracting ‘health tourists’ from various parts of the world to Malaysia. By providing top-notch medical treatments at rock bottom prices, Malaysia is fast emerging as the health tourism centre of the Asia pacific region,” he says.
Indeed, going by the statistics, it is clear that Malaysia’s health tourism sector is poised for unprecedented growth in the coming years. It is estimated that health tourism brought in RM150 million worth of revenue in 2002 and this figure is expected to reach RM400 million by 2005. “We are targetting a figure of RM2.2 billion by 2010,” said Dato’ Chua Jui Meng, Malaysia’s Minister of Health. “We are focusing particularly on the Middle East countries because of the large annual medical expenditures in these countries. The United Arab Emirates alone spent RM3 billion of medical expenses in 2002,” he noted.
As a stepping stone to the Middle East markets, the government of Malaysia organised special health tourism missions to several Middle-Eastern countries to market its health tourism services.
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| Dato’ Chua Jui Meng, Malaysia’s Minister of Health presents the Business & Tourism Guide to Malaysia during a press conference in Dubai |
“Malaysia shares a common Islamic culture that attracts medical patients from the Middle East. The presence of halal food and Islamic practices at hospitals makes patients from the Middle East feel more comfortable while in Malaysia,” says Dato’ Chua Jui Meng during his presentation in Dubai.
He informed Middle East audiences that another attraction to consider Malaysia is the wide choice of state-of-the-art private medical centres available. “These establishments are well-equipped and staffed to serve the healthcare needs of people from all over the world,” he elaborated. “Medical specialists in Malaysia are highly qualified professionals, and supported by well-trained para-medical staff and sophisticated medical equipment,” he said.
In Malaysia, all private medical centres are approved and licensed by the Ministry of Health. Most of the private medical centres have achieved certification for internationally recognised quality standards, for example, MS ISO 9002 or accreditation by the Malaysian Society for Quality of Health (MSQH).
During my visit to some of the leading private hospitals in Malaysia, I noticed that most of these healthcare centres provide comfortable and well-appointed accommodation, ranging from ultra-luxurious presidential suites (at Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre - see story on page 40) to private rooms for single occupancy or more. Room charges, inclusive of meals, vary between medical centres but generally remain at an affordable level, specially from a Middle East perspective.
Like myself, more and more people are now beginning to take notice of the excellent healthcare facilities available in Malaysia. As a result, an increasing number of foreign patients are now entering the country to seek medical treatment. And it is not only Kuala Lumpur that is hogging all the limelight. In 2005, around 100,000 visitors from Indonesia sought medical treatment in Malacca while Penang registered nearly 500,000 visitors. In recent years, the health tourism industry has also gained prominence in other states including Johor, Sabah, Kelantan. In fact, the Government of Malaysia has identified 44 hospitals, out of the approximately 230 private hospitals operating in the country, as part of the health tourism programme.
Among the many medical services being promoted under health tourism are medical check-up packages and other medical procedures like cancer care, cardiac bypass as well as hip and knee replacements.
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| Health tourism in Malaysia: Gaining popularity |
Not to be left out of this new extension to the country’s booming tourist industry, local hotels are also cashing in on the potential from health tourism. Many hotels in Malaysia are tying up with medical centres to offer health-check packages, which combine accommodation and full health screening as well as spa holidays and health rejuvenation packages. For example, Nikko Hotel in Kuala Lumpur has been offering attractive health packages to its guests.
Undoubtedly, with its diverse culture and rich heritage, together with the presence of well-established and affordable health facilities, Malaysia has all the ingredients to become an attractive health tourism destination. With continuous and combined efforts by both the government and the private sector, Malaysia can indeed look forward to reaping huge rewards from health tourism sector in the years to come.
INDICATIVE PRICES
Here’s a list of indicative prices to give you a rough estimate of the pricing structure of health services available in Malaysia:
Basic Health Screening
Approximate Price: RM450
Includes:
• Consultation by medical officer
• Full medical examination
• Chest x-ray
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Eye test
• Comprehensive blood profile
• Lung function test
• Medical report and counselling
Well Woman Package
Approximate Price: RM 1,150
Includes:
• Specialist consultation
• Full physical examination
• Chest x-ray
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Eye test
• Urine FEME
• Comprehensive blood profile *
• Lung function test l Stress test
PLUS
• Breast examination • Pap smear
• Mammogram • Medical report and counselling
Well Man Package
Approximate Price: RM 1,150
Includes:
• Specialist consultation
• Full medical examination
• Chest x-ray
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Eye test • Urine FEME
• Comprehensive blood profile *
• Lung function test • Stress test
• Blood test for PSA
• Ultrasound for prostate, liver, gall bladder, pancreas & kidney • Medical report and counselling
* Blood Test includes: Haemotological profile; Infectious diseases (Hepatitis B & VDRL); Kidney function; Full lipid profile; Metabolic disorders (including diabetes, thyroid and gout disorders); Liver function
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