Medical Tourism in Malaysia
Medical tourism in Malaysia has been a rising tourism genre for the last couple of years, and since 2008, some states like Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Melaka and Sarawak have actively promoted medical healthcare in Malaysia.
In contrast, other states have been extra active in this business in the last couple of years, including Selangor, which has the most medical facilities in the country. The cities of Kuching, Miri, and Kota Kinabalu in the east of Malaysia, where numerous medical facilities and hospitals have opened, will also join in.
Medical Tourism in Malaysia
Apart from the entire Malaysia, the state of Selangor has also snowballed for medical tourism, namely with the accessibility of three airports here. The country’s main airports are KLIA, KLIA2 and the Subang SkyPark Terminal in Subang, Petaling Jaya, which make entering Malaysia easy.
The Subang SkyPark Terminal has also brought in many visitors seeking medical treatment from neighbouring countries due to the low cost of flying and staying here in Selangor.
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The cost of medical procedures in six countries is based on the year 2014. Source Ginger Healthcare. |
Why is Malaysia engaging in Health Tourism?
After all, Malaysia was once under British rule for many years. An additional value that makes Malaysian health tourism attractive includes a six-month visa extension provision for health tourists.
According to another source, by 2017, an estimated 15.7 million medical tourists from the USA will travel to other countries for treatment. Malaysia is one of the hot spots for this in Southeast Asia. The most sought-after treatments by foreign patients were orthopaedic, cardiac care and cancer treatments.
- Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL): This is one of Malaysia’s largest and oldest hospitals. It provides a wide range of specialized services but is unsuitable for medical tourism.
- Hospital Putrajaya: Offers comprehensive services, including specialized treatments, and is known for its modern facilities.
- Hospital Penang: This is a major public hospital in Penang, providing extensive medical services to the northern region of Malaysia.
Private Hospitals
- Prince Court Medical Centre (Kuala Lumpur): Known for high-quality care and modern facilities, catering to both local and international patients.
- Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur: Offers a wide range of specialized medical services with a reputation for excellent patient care.
- Sunway Medical Centre (Selangor): Provides comprehensive healthcare services with a focus on advanced technology and specialized care.
Specialist Centers
- National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara – IJN): Specializes in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery.
- Cancer Research Malaysia: Focuses on cancer treatment and research with several treatment centres across the country.
- Pantai Hospital: Known for its specialized departments, including orthopaedics and fertility treatments.
Traditional and Complementary Medicine
- Herbalife Clinics: Offer traditional herbal treatments alongside modern medical care.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Clinics: These are available in various cities and provide acupuncture, herbal remedies, and other traditional therapies.
Since mid-2012, Malaysia has had eight hospitals with JCI accreditation: the Gleneagles Hospital, the National Heart Institute, the Penang Adventist Hospital, and the Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya. The other 85 hospitals around Malaysia—32 private facilities—hold accreditation from the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH).
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Malaysia is ranked in the Top 5 for medical tourism in the world. Source Med Gadget. |
- 2007 – RM253.8 million from 341,288 foreign patients
- 2008 – RM299.1 million from 374,063 foreign patients
- 2009 – RM288.2 million from 336,225 foreign patients
- 2010 – RM378.9 million from 392,956 foreign patients
- 2011 – RM511.2 million from 583,296 foreign patients
Procedure
|
Country
(USD$) |
|||||
US
|
Thailand
|
India
|
Malaysia
|
Singapore
|
South
Korea |
|
Coronary Artery Bypass
|
88,000
|
23,000
|
9,500
|
20,800
|
32,000
|
35,000
|
Valve Replacement With Bypass
|
85,000
|
22,000
|
8,500
|
18,500
|
29,500
|
33,000
|
Hip Replacement
|
33,000
|
13,000
|
8,000
|
12,500
|
17,000
|
15,500
|
Spinal Fusion
|
41,000
|
16,000
|
9,500
|
17,900
|
20,500
|
22,000
|
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Cycle
|
15,000
|
6,500
|
3,300
|
7,200
|
9,500
|
7,500
|
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Columbia Asia Hospital in Malaysia |
Conclusion
Many top hospitals in Sabah have offered medical tourism because of the strong demand from neighbouring countries. Sarawak is also no stranger to medical tourism in the last 10 years.
With the country’s growing tourism trend, Malaysia targeted 36 million tourists in 2013. The last number for 2012 was 25.3 million tourists. About 600,000 of them came to Malaysia for medical tourism.
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