Kuala Lumpur (Bernama)
Ara Damansara Medical Centre sees great potential in American medical tourists following its collaboration with US-based medical tourism facilitator Companion Global Healthcare.
“Companion has a relationship with more than 200 companies in 22 states in the US and it helps the employees seek the best medical practice outside the States at a much lower cost.
“At the same time, we help employers save a lot more by paying less for their employees’ medical care,” said Companion President and Chief Operating Officer David Bouche.
The company also assists employees with flight and ground arrangements, hotel bookings, and transfer of medical records to the hospital of their choice.
Bouche said Companion has worked with 33 hospitals in 13 countries and found that Malaysia, where Ara Damansara Medical is the only hospital they work with, has what it takes for medical tourism.
“Malaysians right to the highest government level understand what is required for medical tourism and work hard to meet all standards and strict guidelines to earn accreditation from the Joint Commission International,” he said at a press briefing at the hospital near here on Tuesday.
Among the countries he has visited, he said, only Malaysia, South Korea and Turkey truly understand what medical tourism is all about.
“Malaysian hospitals give superior quality care in a safe environment, the surgeries are done with a low complication rate, the technologies are on par, and we hope Americans will start to acknowledge and discover that the best and safest hospital is not necessarily in their local town,” he added.
During the 2008 recession in the US, a significant number of people were left without medical care, but with the ‘Obamacare’ laws passed recently, more people have access to insurance and medical care, he noted.
But with no new physicians and nurses, queues are getting longer, fuelling the demand for cheaper and good quality medical care, for which medical tourism is an option, he said.
He added that Malaysia and Ara Damansara Medical are well-positioned to be a major benefactor of this demand as it is clear that the Malaysian medical sector is highly developed and the technology is identical to what Americans have at home.
Meanwhile, the centre’s Chief Executive Officer, Sue T. L. Lee, said medical tourism is one of the key economic growth drivers in Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme.
“We are proud to say that this hospital is the first one chosen to be in that programme, and we have received a lot of incentives from the government to put in place the necessary facilities, attract the best doctors and staff, as well as to lure more patients,” she added.
She said the hospital has also told its staff to treat all patients from the heart with care and as family, not as guests.
— BERNAMA
source: http://www.bernama.com.my / National News Agency of Malaysia / Home> Business> news / Kuala Lumpur – October 23rd, 2013
