Kuala Lumpur :
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) expects the medical tourism industry to record RM630mil revenue this year, up from RM584 million last year.
“The number of foreign patients has increased year by year, and last year we had 671,000 patients, an increase from the 583,000 patients recorded in 2011.
“We believe this year, the medical tourism industry will continue to grow and we expect some 700,000 foreign patients will get their treatment here,” Chief Executive Officer Dr Mary Wong Lai Lin told a press conference here today.
Foreign patients continue to choose Malaysia for medical treatment as the country’s medical tourism industry is regulated by the government and the hospitals are well-equipped with the latest technology and facilities, she added.
Dr Wong said among the foreign patients that come to Malaysia for treatment were from Indonesia, India, Japan, China, UK, US, Australia, Bangladesh, Libya and Nepal.
MHTC, established under the Health Ministry, was set up as the primary agency to develop and promote the healthcare travel industry and to position Malaysia as the healthcare destination of choice in the region.
The agency strengthens public-private sector collaboration to formulate strategic plans for the development, promotion and coordination of healthcare travel services for Malaysian healthcare providers and related stakeholders.- Bernama
source: http://www.biz.thestar.com.my / The Star Online / Home> Business> News / Thursday – June 20th, 2013
