The health tourism sector in Malaysia has taken a different turn. According to one of the highly ranked government officials from Malaysia, the country has witnessed a tremendous growth in the health tourism.
Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya, who is the Deputy Health Minister, said that the Malaysian health tourism recorded revenue of RM 351.5 million (EUR 80.25 million) until June 2013. The number of tourists coming to the country for medical procedures and surgeries reached 401,262. According to the deputy minister, this figure is expected to double by the end of December.
There have been enough strategies put in place to ensure that this plan is realized. The targeted revenue for 2013 is RM 630 million (EUR 144 million). Apart from promotional efforts, the Malaysian Health Tourism Council (MHTC) has also intensified its marketing strategies. This is aimed at making the country to be one of the best health tourist destinations not only in Asia but in the entire world. The rising number of health tourist is definitely going to have a positive impact on the revenue the government will collect from the health tourism industry.
According to Dr Hilmi, it is the efforts undertaken by the MHTC that has significantly transformed Malaysia’s health tourism sector. In reality, the number of health tourists in 2011 impressively soared from 392, 956 in 2010 to 583,296. This translates to 48% increase which is a very significant rise. This figure further increased to 671,727 in the year 2012 representing a 15% increase.
The same can be said about the revenue figures that rose from RM 378.7 million (EUR 86.5 million) in 2010 to RM 511.2 million (EUR 116.7 million) in 2011 (+35%). The year 2012 was a major boost to the health tourism sector as the revenue rose to RM 594 million (EUR 135.6 million) (+16%).
Dr Hilmi further explained that there are over 72 hospitals and other health care centers that have been established for the purpose of promoting health tourism. The health centers are up to the standards and offer attractive treatment package at very affordable prices. Apart from the Prince Court Medical Center Kuala Lumpur, other hospitals that have received a significant number of tourists include the Johor Specialist Hospital, Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya and Lam Wah Ee Hospital in Penang.