Malaysia Sets Up Council to Promote Medical Tourism
The Malaysian government recently established the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) under the Malaysian Health Ministry. The council was established to help promote the health tourism in the country.
The proposal to form the healthcare travel council was approved by the Malaysian Cabinet in July. The news was announced by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai during the International Healthcare Conference and Exhibition that was held in Kuala Lumpur.
The Health Minister will serve as a co-chairman of the council together with representatives from the public and private health care sector.
The MHTC was established because the Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Razak has identified the health tourism industry as a sunshine industry that will deliver higher economic growth for the country.
In 2008, there were 375,000 health tourists who travelled to Malaysia to receive medical care. This number was provided by the Association of Private Hospital of Malaysia. The country is expecting a 10 percent growth in the industry this year despite the economic downturn.
The council will set the direction and the policies for the medical tourism in Malaysia. Malaysia hopes to attract many patients to avail of the different health services in Malaysia including dental care and eye care. The establishment of the MHTC is designed to offer government support to the private healthcare industry in Malaysia. The private healthcare in Malaysia has always taken the initiative to promote medical tourism in the country. With the MHTC, the government is taking a more active participation in the promotion of medical tourism in Malaysia.
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