According to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysia reportedly received 641,000 foreign patients in 2011, 728,800 in 2012, 881,000 in 2013, 882,000 in 2014, 859,000 in 2015, and 921,000 in 2016. Malaysia's medical tourism statistics derive from the reported numbers of all foreign patients treated b
Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)
��endorsed medical facilities. These figures encompass all registered patients with a foreign passport, which by default also encompass expatriates, migrants, business travellers, and holiday-makers for whom health care may not be the main motive for their stay. The number of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council–endorsed medical facilities in Malaysia has increased over the years (e.g., 35 in 2009, 49 in 2011, 63 in 2012, 72 in 2013 and 78 in 2014), playing a role in increasing the official figures on foreign patients. Malaysia is listed in the top 10 tourism destinations in the world by Patients Beyond Borders.

Origin of patients

The majority of the foreign patients seeking medical treatments in Malaysia are from Indonesia, with smaller numbers of foreign patients coming from India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Europe, the USA and the Middle East. In 2008, Indonesians comprised 75% of all foreign patients receiving care in Malaysia; Europeans, 3%; Japanese, 3%; Singaporeans, 1% and citizens from Middle Eastern countries, 1%. By 2011, Indonesians comprised 57% of all foreign patients in Malaysia as the number of patients of other nationalities grew. Health insurance companies in Singapore have recently permitted their policyholders to be treated in Malaysia where services are cheaper than in Singapore.

Government measures

As with

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

medical tourism Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable a ...

started to receive attention from the Malaysian government in the wake of the

Asian financial crisis The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998– ...

as a tool for economic diversification in the healthcare and tourism industries. The National Committee for the Promotion of Medical and Health Tourism (NCPMHT) was formed by the Ministry of Health in January 1998. Following on this, private hospitals (and some corporatised government-owned hospitals, like the Institut Jantung Negara) – concentrated mainly in the states of Penang, Malacca,

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

, and

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...

– worked alongside and through their respective state governments; private hospital associations; and the Malaysian Ministries of Health, Tourism, and Trade and Industry to promote medical tourism. In 2009, the Ministry of Health set up th
Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)
to replace the NCPMHT and to serve as the primary agency to promote and develop the country's medical tourism industry as well as position Malaysia as a healthcare hub in the Southeast Asian/

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

region.

Accreditation

The Malaysian government's investment tax allowance has encouraged private health care facilities promoting medical tourism to invest in internationally recognized accreditation schemes (e.g.

Joint Commission International The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majori ...

an
Malaysian Society for Quality in Healthcare
and medical equipment in order to develop ‘world-class’, technology-intensive private health care facilities and ensure care standards considered necessary to attract medical tourists.

Awards

As a nation, Malaysia and its non-governmental organizations, medical centres and facilitators have won numerous awards. * Sunway Medical Centre: ** ''IMTJ Awards'' - International Hospital of the Year 2017 ** ''IMTJ Awards'' - Best Marketing Initiative of the Year 2017 ** ''IMTJ Awards'' - Highly Commended Quality Initiative of the Year 2017 ** ''IMTJ Awards'' - International Hospital of the Year 2016 ** ''GHT Awards'' - Orthopaedic Service Provider of the Year 2017 ** ''GHT Awards'' - International Hospital of the Year 2016 ** ''GHT Awards'' - Cosmetic Surgery & Aesthetic Service Provider of the Year 2016 ** ''Frost & Sullivan Awards'' - Hospital of the Year 2016 * Prince Court Medical Centre: ** ''MTQUA Awards'' - World's Top Ten Hospitals for Medical Tourist 2017 ** ''GHT Awards'' - Paediatric Service Provider of the Year 2016 ** ''IMTJ Awards'' - International Infertility Clinic of the Year 2014 ** ''MTQUA Awards'' - World's Top Ten Hospitals for Medical Tourist 2014 ** ''MHTC Awards'' - Highest Number of Healthcare Travellers 2012 ** ''ServCare Awards'' - Malaysia Service to Care Champion 2012 ** ''Frost & Sullivan Awards'' - Hospital of the Year 2010 ** ''BestBrands Awards'' - Best Brands Wellness Hospital of the Year 2010 * George Medical Getaway: ** ''GHP Awards'' - Best Medical Tourism Facilitator 2018

Revenue

Revenue from medical tourism to Malaysia grew from MYR 299 million in 2008 to MYR 527 million in 2011 to MYR 1.7 billion in 2019. Penang's hospitals were responsible for contributing 57% in 2009 and 66% in 2010 of all revenue to the country's medical tourism industry. With the 2010 launch of the

Economic Transformation Programme The Economic Transformation Programme is an initiative by the Malaysian government to turn Malaysia into a high income economy by the year of 2020. It is managed by the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), an agency under the Prime ...

(ETP), which seeks to transform Malaysia into an upper middle-income country with a knowledge-based economy, interest in medical tourism's economic potential grew. The ETP designated health care as one of the country's 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) deemed to have the potential to spur growth. As part of the health care NKEA, medical tourism is intended to generate MYR 9.6 billion in revenue and MYR 4.3 billion in gross national income and to require 5,300 more medical professionals by 2020. For-profit hospitals are expected to invest MYR 335 million in hospital infrastructure in order to be prepared for 1.9 million foreign patients annually by 2020. Medical tourism in Malaysia was ranked by Nuwire as one of the top five destinations for

health tourism Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable a ...

in the world in 2008. Malaysia was also recognised as 2015 'Destination of the Year' by the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ).

References