By Erda Khursyiah Basir
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia’s health tourism sector, which has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, is showing signs of a stronger comeback as the nation heads into 2023, propelled by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021 – 2025.
Malaysia has built a strong reputation as a safe and trusted global destination for healthcare over the past 10 years, with visitors from across the world coming for a range of treatments.
In the next phase, this segment will continue to focus on treatment services such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), cardiology, oncology, orthopaedic, neurology, dental, aesthetics and general health screening, while unleashing the full potential of the industry, covering the areas of preventive treatments and healthcare.
FIVE-YEAR INDUSTRY BLUEPRINT
Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) Chief Executive Officer Mohd Daud Mohd Arif said, during the recovery phase, more emphasis is being placed on the healthcare travel ecosystem as readiness measures for the industry to recover and move into the rebuild phase.
“We are now in a solid position to embark on the next phase of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint in 2023 to rebuild the industry, whilst enhancing service delivery of a seamless end-to-end experience for all healthcare travellers.
“Guided strongly by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021-2025, we are on course for a continuous and sustainable industry growth, focusing on providing the ‘Best Malaysia Healthcare Travel Experience’ by leveraging our strengths in three key pillars.
“The three pillars consist of Healthcare Travel Ecosystem which focuses on enhancing service quality and experience of care, Malaysia Healthcare Brand to increase brand cohesiveness across key touchpoints and amplify our brand equity in core markets, and last but not least, Markets, we are looking at growing beyond primary markets and exploring more niche markets to strengthen our presence,” he told Bernama recently.
MHTC will be enhancing these pillars through collaborations with local, regional and global stakeholders to create value for the entire industry.
“The rebuild phase will also see the industry driving forward with a focus on both curative and preventive treatments as well as several niche branding initiatives such as in cardiology, oncology, fertility, and dental treatments as well as premium wellness offerings, inviting healthcare travellers to experience and rediscover the best of healthcare in Malaysia,” he added.
TOP MEDICAL TOURISM DESTINATION
Currently, Malaysia is ranked among the top medical tourism destinations in Asia, alongside India, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea.
President of the Association of Private Hospitals (APHM) Dr Kuljit Singh has said, Malaysia is one of the best in South-East Asia in terms of cost and high standard of healthcare.
Elaborating further on this, Mohd Daud said Malaysia’s healthcare system has been internationally recognised and has garnered numerous global accolades over the years. They include International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) Destination of the Year: Malaysia (2015, 2016, 2017 & 2020); IMTJ Cluster of the Year: Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020); Asia Pacific Healthcare and Medical Tourism Awards (2016-2022); and International Living: Asia’s Top Destination for Retirement Living (2015-2022).
He said Malaysia saw significant declines in healthcare travel revenue from RM1.7 billion (US$1=RM4.43) in 2019 to RM777 million and RM585 million in 2020 and 2021 respectively, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“However, the industry’s swift response to the pandemic has led to fruitful results. Anchoring heavily on public-private partnerships (PPPs), our success as a destination has been an all-industry effort. Together, we have cultivated a solid ecosystem, further positioning Malaysia as a safe and trusted destination for healthcare travellers as we recover from the pandemic,” he added.
Following the opening of borders in April this year, the sector has seen an encouraging surge in the number of healthcare traveller arrivals.
“As of the third quarter of (Q3) 2022, the industry recorded RM726 million of revenue, bringing us closer to our target of achieving RM1 billion for 2022. This signifies the healthcare travellers’ trust on Malaysia as a safe and trusted healthcare travel destination, as well as the industry’s positive recovery and growth,” Mohd Daud said.
DISCOVER NEW FIELDS
Leveraging the demand for niche treatments and its excellent track records, MHTC aims to continue developing existing offerings and enhancing the Malaysia Healthcare experience through niche branding initiatives, which include preventive healthcare and wellness.
“In recent years, the global population has become increasingly diligent in prioritising their physical and mental wellness.
“In response to this trend, Malaysia Healthcare introduced a Premium Wellness Programme, an industry-wide collaborative effort with top-tier private hospitals, hotels and travel companies in the country to integrate comprehensive health screening, world-class accommodation and leisure tour offerings into one convenient comprehensive premium package for healthcare travellers.
“Through this programme, we aim to empower the global population by inspiring healthier lifestyles via enhanced health screening offerings, with options for add-ons for dental aesthetics, cosmetic procedures and focused screenings and treatments for Hepatitis C, cancer and heart related disease,” said Mohd Daud.
Malaysia Healthcare has identified Indonesia, China, Bangladesh and Myanmar as core markets based on the volume of healthcare travellers, as well as the growth potential in the respective markets.
It also plans to increase the market penetration in those countries while aggressively raising the country’s profile in secondary markets like Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Australia.
“Currently, Indonesia represents one of the key markets for Malaysia Healthcare, with healthcare travellers from Jakarta, Surabaya, and Medan making up the majority of those seeking care in Malaysia, to complement the healthcare services obtainedin their home country.
“Penang and Melaka are healthcare travel hot spots for Indonesian travellers, dominating more than 70 per cent of total arrivals,” he added.
In terms of travellers by origin, Malaysia continues to attract healthcare travellers from many countries, not just within the region.
For the past decade, citizens from Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States make up the top countries of arrival in Malaysia.
— NNN-BERNAMA
