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Malaysia Healthcare Travel
Council CEO Sherene Azli exchanges documents with AirAsia Indonesia CEO Dendy
Kurniawan during the MoU signing between MHTC and Indonesia AirAsia. Behind
them are (L—R) Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye, Deputy Finance Minister
Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah and Co-Group CEO of AirAsia X Datuk Kamarudin Meranun.
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Sunpix by Zulkifli Ersal
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KUALA LUMPUR: The local healthcare industry is targeting to get at least one
million health tourists from Indonesia by 2020, according to Malaysia
Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) CEO Sherene Azil.
He said in
2017 just over one million healthcare tourists visited the country for medical
care, which resulted in revenue of RM1.3 billion.
"Of the
million healthcare tourists about 600,000 were Indonesians.
"Penang
was the top destination of the healthcare tourists with 60% visiting the island
for treatment," she said at a press conference after signing a Memorandum
of Understanding with AirAsia Indonesia.
AirAsia
Indonesia flies to Penang twice daily from Jakarta, thrice daily from Medan and
thrice weekly from Surabaya. She said the MoU will see both parties jointly
promoting Penang as the country's top healthcare tourism destination.
Sherene added
that the aim is to provide a seamless service from the time the healthcare
tourists leave their country to when they return home.
"At
present Malaysia is ranked eighth in the healthcare tourism industry and the
target is to be among the top three by 2025.
"To
achieve this target the most important thing is built trust with those visiting
the country for healthcare and to provide them with up to date information on
all the care facilities available," she said.
According to
Sherene, MHTC also aims to develop Malaysia as a hub of excellence for
cardiology and fertility treatment. The National Heart Institute is well known
around the world and Malaysia is also known for its fertility treatment success
rate, which is better than the world's benchmark.
Deputy Health
Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye, who was also present at the press conference, said
Malaysia ranked tops for healthcare from 2015 to 2017 by two world ranking
groups.
He said there
was no Sales and Service Tax on hospital bills and this would be another
attraction for healthcare tourists.
He added that
the ministry regulated the charges that private hospitals can impose on
patients therefore patients, even those from abroad, know they will not be
overcharged.
He said with
China having lifted the one child policy in 2015, many couples in their 40s
need fertility help to get another child and that by promoting Malaysia's
success as a fertility hub many Chinese couples have and will opt to come here
for treatment.
He said Prime
Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a walking testimony of the ability of local
cardiologists to treat heart related problems.
-http://www.thesundaily.myhttps://www.mhtc.org.my/
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