Healthcare Industry To Create US$3.2 Bln Revenue This Year: Health Minister

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's healthcare industry is expected to generate nearly US$3.2 billion (RM13 billion) in revenue this year, said Health Minister Dr S. Subramaniam. He said the medical devices sector, which is the key segment of the industry, is expected to contribute US$2.71 billion (RM11 billion) in exports, with revenue from the health tourism and pharmaceutical sectors expected to reach RM1 billion and RM800 million respectively. (US$1 = RM4.05) Overall, he said, the healthcare industry is expected to contribute US$8.62 billion (RM35 billion) to Gross National Income (GNI) and create 180,000 jobs by 2020. "For the medical devices sector, Malaysia is the largest surgical gloves manufacturer in the world and we also manufacture beds, dental chairs and orthopedic implants. "We hope that we can compete in the international markets," he told reporters at the Medical Device Competency Seminar here Tuesday. Themed "Towards Implementation of Medical Device Competency Regulatory Programme in Malaysia", the seminar was organised by the Medical Device Authority and Eastwood Park Integrated Academy Sdn Bhd. Dr Subramaniam said the seminar would kick off the Medical Device Competency Regulatory Programme, in line with the Medical Device Act 2012 (Act 737). He said the programme would ensure competency among persons using or operating a medical device or a person installing, commissioning, testing, maintaining or disposing of a medical device to demonstrate conformity to the requirements of the Act. "There are 4,000 personnel in this country working in this field and they should be trained properly to ensure that they meet all the requirements of the Act," he said. -- BERNAMA