MALAYSIA NEEDS 'MEDICAL TOURISM DESTINATION' IMAGE

Manik Mehta


NEW YORK, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Despite the sporadic attempts to portray Malaysia as a medical tourism destination, the country's tourism planners have yet to formulate a strategic approach for this direction.

The medical tourism segment holds out tremendous business potential for
Malaysia’s medical institutions such as hospitals, medical research centres,
specialized medical services and nutritional food operators.

These are in addition to the business opportunities for exports of medical
equipment and the likes.

Because of medical tourism’s commercial and tourism attributes, many experts
believe that a well-coordinated effort by the trade promotion or the tourism
promotion agencies - Matrade and Tourism Malaysia -- could attract greater
inflow of this kind of 'opportunities'.

Malaysia could take a leaf from other Asian countries in promoting
themselves as medical tourism destinations.

Indeed, Asia is seen as a growth centre as healthcare services, buoyed by
unaffordable medical services in the developed countries, particularly the
European Union and the United States, are being offered by a number of countries
in Asia projecting themselves as destinations where “you-pay-less-get-more”
services.

KEY DESTINATION

During the past decade, Thailand has been a key destination in Southeast
Asia where foreigners have been attracted by the lower-cost health services and
ready access to treatment.

Thailand offers a wide array of medical services, ranging from invasive and
non-invasive cardiac surgery to cosmetic surgery, dentistry and even the
so-called "unorthodox" medical treatment such as Chinese medicine or the ancient
nature-based Ayurvedic cure.

Of course, increased international travel and the access to information
readily available on the Internet have contributed to a rise in the number of
travellers seeking medical treatment abroad.

According to figures provided by Thai sources, some 1.4 million visitors
arrived in Thailand to seek medical treatment in 2007. Thailand earned some $1.0
billion in that year.

This figure, according to the Thai Health Ministry, is expected to triple by
2012. According to a 2008 study by Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, some
six million Americans alone will seek health care abroad by 2010.

The figure can be equally huge from Europe and other developed countries
such as Japan and Australia.

EUROPEAN UNION

European Union contributed the highest number of visitors to Thailand
followed by West Asian nations and United States.

However, Thailand is eyeing China and India, whose rising middle-class are
more adventurous and obsessed with foreign shopping in combination with healthj
treatment at the destination.

Singapore, despite being a highly expensive destination and its much-smaller
size, has attracted more high-spending Indian tourists than any other Southeast
Asian country.

"Singapore has taken a commercially wise decision in granting Indian
visitors visa-on-arrival facility," says Archie Lee, a Singaporean heart
specialist working for a Singaporean hospital, now visiting New York on what he
says is a promotional drive.

But Malaysia also has good potential to profile itself as a medical tourism
destination.

According to the Medical Tourism Association, Malaysia receives some 370,000
patients as medical tourists, the majority of whom comes from Indonesia, Middle
East and Australia.

FOREIGH PATIENTS

From 2001 to 2008, the number of foreign patients seeking treatment in
Malaysia increased three fold, generating revenue of some $59 million in 2006.

According to the Association of Private Hospitals in Malaysia, the number of
medical tourists will steadily rise by about 30 percent throughout 2010.

However while Malaysia has practiced medical tourism for several years, the
country’s medical tourism has not been well publicised or strategically
promoted.

Malaysia’s attributes as a medical tourism destination is hardly known
beyond Southeast Asia.

"Malaysia needs to market its attributes as an attractive medical tourism
destination. It has a good infrastructure and equally good professionals to
provide first-class treatment," says an American doctor who declined to benamed.

The doctor who works in a New Jersey hospital, has visited Malaysia and
knows it has good potential to become a medical tourism destination.

HEALTH MINISTRY

Malaysia’s Health Ministry, in coordination with private hospitals, is also
encouraging the promotion of Malaysia as a medical tourism destination.

The ministry has selected more than 30 private hospitals to specialize in
international health care as regional and global providers.

Greater emphasis is also being placed on the cost-saving factor. A
cardiac-bypass surgery would cost about US$6,000 to US$7,000 in Malaysia. This
is only a fraction of the costs incurred in the United States.

The Malaysian government has set up a special medical tourism unit to
address the needs of international patients.

Although other initiatives such as granting long-term medical visa - from 30
days to six months - to foreign patients is a good way to boost the arrivals,
Malaysia should harness the resources of the tourism and trade offices abroad.

This is to facilitate coordination not only amongst themselves but also with
foreign agencies abroad such as health insurance companies and interest groups
of patients.

The key to future growth is strategic marketing.

-- BERNAMA