Malaysian medical tourism statistics

The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB, Tourism Malaysia) is embarking on a three-year project to collect market data on health tourism, as the country seeks to increase the number of people visiting the country for medical treatment. According to analysts Frost & Sullivan, healthcare expenditure in Malaysia is driven by increased privatization within the healthcare service provision.

The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB, Tourism Malaysia) is embarking on a three-year project to collect market data on health tourism, as the country seeks to increase the number of people visiting the country for medical treatment.

According to analysts Frost & Sullivan, healthcare expenditure in Malaysia is driven by increased privatization within the healthcare service provision. The market for healthcare services has also received a positive impetus from health tourism.

According to Frost & Sullivan’s Dr. Pawel Suwinski, “Malaysia healthcare tourism grew at a rate of 25.3 percent a year since 1998, while revenues posted a growth of 37.9 percent during the same period. Revenue per patient has also grown 2.5 fold from $92 in 1998 to $241 in 2008. By 2010, medical tourism revenue per patient is estimated to reach $590. This signifies the growth of foreign confidence in more advanced medical care services in Malaysia. Most international patients come from neighboring countries with less developed medical infrastructure (mainly Indonesia), and other developed countries from the West. Malaysia is also a preferred destination for these international patients due to the higher foreign exchange rate in Singapore and unstable political scene in Thailand.”

In 2006, the bulk of foreign patients came from Indonesia (65-70 percent), followed by Japan (5-6 percent), Europe (5 percent) and India (3 percent). There are an increasing number of patients from Middle Eastern countries (particularly U.A.E., Qatar and Saudi Arabia).

The Malaysian government has set up several referral gateways to assist medical tourists. One of them is the health tourism website www.malaysiahealthcare.com, that assists medical tourists globally.

Private hospital groups and major private hospital providers have set up departments to deal with international patients. Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre and Pantai Hospitals are among those that have set up international customer departments specifically for the admission and support of international patients. KPJ Medical Group, Mahkota Hospital and Subang Jaya Medical Center have established tie-ups with several travel agencies and hotels to provide comprehensive tourism packages in conjunction with healthcare services, as well as setting up representative or referral offices.

Healthcare in Malaysia is mainly dominated by private hospitals. 62 percent of the total hospitals in Malaysia are privately owned. The number of private hospitals increased dramatically from 50 in 1980 to an estimated of 223 private hospital last year. The government has built 10 public hospitals in the past 4 years to increase the number to 140.

The Malaysian government is promoting medical tourism. It has extended the visa period for health tourists from one month to six months. Major hospitals in Malaysia are targeting new markets such as Vietnam and Cambodia. Africans are now coming to Malaysia because it is cheaper to do so rather than go to Europe where they used to go previously.

Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak recently said.” Medical tourism is a high priority to position Malaysia as a world-class healthcare services provider. The government will invest in education and technology. The key is to make sure Malaysia’s regulatory environment is ready to support investment.