I AGREE with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s daring call in “Zero in on unexplored areas, tourism players told” (The Star, Aug 1) and the sentiments expressed in “We need the wow factor” (The Star, Aug 4).
One of the highest contributors to GDP after manufacturing is income generated through the tourism industry.
Opportunities are aplenty in the whole supply chain of tourism activities in Malaysia. One of the key areas will be medical tourism, which has gained novelty in countries such as India, Thailand and Singapore.
According to recent research, the healthcare industry is the least affected by the global recession and is expected to grow by 50% over the next 15 years.
Globalisation has made the world smaller – expanding knowledge and eliminating barriers – and medical tourism has leveraged on it very well.
As the world becomes more globalised, more people are seeking medical care abroad.
The low cost of treatment in countries like India, Malaysia and Thailand have coincided to provide a mega boost to the Asian medical tourism sector.
Statistics from the Association of Private Hospitals in Malaysia reveal that the number of foreign patients seeking medical treatment in Malaysia grew from 75,210 in 2001 to 370,000 in 2008, registering an annual growth of 30%.
This shows that medical tourism offers immense potential for future growth and development.
Indonesian and Middle Eastern patients favour India, Thailand and Malaysia.
Malaysia can capitalise on its Islamic credentials, including the presence of halal food and Islamic practices in hospitals.
Hospitals should be cost competitive, provide differentiated world-class service and state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure, hire multi-lingual staff as well as nurture world renowned surgeons and doctors.
There needs to be more integration with other agencies, such as higher education institutions that have new innovations in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.
This will definitely will help to bring more health travellers to Malaysia in the future.
Dr SHANKAR CHELLIAH,
George Town.
George Town.
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