By Cheryl Yvonne Achu
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's medical tourism is experiencing steady growth so far this year, amid the competitive, dynamic and volatile market environment.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar attributed the favourable growth to the country's well-developed healthcare infrastructure, supported by state-of-the-art equipment.
According to Wahid, last year, medical revenue increased by 16.2 per cent to RM690.2 million from RM594 million in the previous year.
"We hope that the trend will continue and will exceed last year figure," he told reporters after officiating Malaysia Healthcare Travel Business Forum 2014 (MHBF 2014) here yesterday.
He said in the first nine months this year, Malaysia recorded RM520.3 million in medical tourism revenue.
Wahid said the government will continue to provide pro-active and business friendly policies and further promote conducive environment for healthcare service developments.
He said high-quality care at affordable cost is one of the country's main competitive edge that has attracted a large number of medical tourists.
"Malaysia is offering a good quality healthcare with great accessibility in term of short queuing time, where you will get treatment almost immediately and at affordable or reasonable cost," he said.
Organised by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council and supported by Ministry of Health, MHBF 2014 aims to promote business to business ventures between key industry stakeholders within local and and international healthcare travel value chain.
Themed, “Partnership with Confidence”, the one-day forum provides a unique platform for leading healthcare facilities, insurance companies, financial institution and related industry stakeholders to connect in an “under one roof” setting, where buyers meet sellers.
"Through various promotional activities and organising international business like this (MHBF 2014), Malaysia would continue to gain recognition as one of the top preferred healthcare travel destinations in the world," Wahid said.