HEALTHCARE TOURISM

By Saraswathi Muniaappan

 

NEW DELHI, June 25 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Heathcare Travel Council (MHTC) is planning to move into the second stage of its marketing effort in South Asia by wooing general practitioners (GPs), its Senior Manager (Business Development) Wong Toon Keng said. "Earlier, it was all about making MHTC more visible. Now, we want to hard sell," he said.

 

Approaching GPs is among the best options, as patients would often follow their advice, he told Bernama in an interview.  "There is also an option for patient exchange, which is another big market that can be tapped into," he said. MHTC plans to organise an event to gather the GPs and create awareness among them, said Wong.

 

Asked why Indians seek medical treatment in Malaysia, he said it is an option, there are obviously top-notch hospitals and doctors in this region too, but some people might want to go overseas as a matter of choice.  One issue is the demand outstripping the supply, he said. "Sometimes it can also be for convenience, for instance if their kids are working and residing in Malaysia," he said.

 

The potential in India is enormous, he said, pointing out that a total of 22,350 healthcare travellers from India come to Malaysian hospitals for treatments related to cardiology, oncology, orthopaedic and health screening.

 

Recently, a leading medical tourism portal added Malaysia to a list of top centres in Asia for advanced healthcare.

 

The "Destinations" page featuring myMEDholiday.com's newest location includes a summary on Malaysia as a medical tourism haven, the country's top hospitals and clinics and the highly qualified doctors and specialists  It looks at some of Malaysia's better-known fields of expertise such as cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, infertility treatment and reconstructive surgery.

 

-- BERNAMA