GOING GLOBAL IN

MEDICAL TOURISM
Assoc. Prof Dr Ghazali Musa (MBBS, PhD)
Marketing Department
Faculty of Business and Accountancy
University Malaya

CONTENT
Introduction
Definition of medical tourism
Travel motivations of medical tourism
Medical tourism in Malaysia
Competitor Analysis: Singapore, Thailand and
India
Empirical study of medical tourism in Kuala
Lumpur: motivation, satisfaction and
consumption behaviour
Issues and challenges
How to go global?

INTRODUCTION

Tourism is one of the 12 initiatives proposed under

the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) that could
help the nation to achieve the status of a developed
economy by 2020.
Within tourism, the health sub-sector is singled out
as the most promising and lucrative area for the
development of the industry in the country.
While tourist arrivals increased by 300% from 5.5
million in 1998 to 22.1 million in 2008, over the same
period, medical tourist arrivals increased by 856%
from 39,114 to 374,063
The Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia
(APHM) predicted revenue from medical tourism to
grow at least 30% annually
2010: MYR 540 million to the nations economy
(Leonard, 2009).

INTRODUCTION

Worldwide medical tourism market was about US$ 60

billion in 2006 and projected to climb to US$100 billion by
2012 (Evans, 2008)
Key medical tourism destinations: Brunei, Cuba, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan,
Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, and United Arab Emirates
The expansion of medical tourism is largely contributed to
by the globalization of healthcare services, where
boundaries among nations have been minimized, enabling
patients to move across borders for medical treatment.
Malaysias competitors: the uniquely superior quality
Singapore; the amazing Thailand and the emerging
incredible India.
Malaysia needs to offer unique competitive advantages in
the current globalization in healthcare services; and
identify its unique selling point.

DEFINITION

Health: a balance state of body, mind and wellbeing

Tourism: a travel to a destination and all the
activities involved to host the tourist.
Health Tourism: a travel to a destination and all the
activities involved to host the tourist, who travels
with the main purpose to attain a balance state of
body, mind and wellbeing.
Health Tourism includes spa, wellness and medical
tourism
Medical tourism: is a subset of health tourism, which
aims at restoring health through medical intervention
with the application of biomedical procedures to the
patients.

DEFINITION

Medical tourism is defined as all the activities

related to travel and hosting a tourist who stays
at least one night at the destination region, for
the purpose of maintaining, improving or
restoring health through medical intervention.

TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS

Key Motivators
Cost

Sub-Motivators
(1) Lower cost in overseas
(2) Higher cost in home country
(3) Favorable exchange rates
(4) Relatively affordable international air travel

Time

(1) Long waiting list in home country

Regulation

(2) Short waiting list

(1) Treatments not approved by government (e.g. : In
US : stem-cells therapy, cancer treatment)
(2) Easy accessibility to another country
(3) Insurance-related

Not covered by insurance in home country (e.g. :

dental, vision, cosmetic surgery, fertility) or
underinsured or no universal medical insurance
available (e.g. : US)
Medical
(1) Expats and migrants return home for medical
Preferences and
treatment
Availability
(2) Non-availability of certain procedures (e.g. : organ
transplant) in home country
Quality
(1) Equal or better quality in another country
(2) Medical expertise

Tourism
Information

(3) Hospital hardware

(1) New and exotic location in conjunction with
holidays
(1) Easy access to information regarding to medical

MALAYSIA
Medical

tourism after 1998, following the Asian Financial

Crisis, as an economic diversification .
Malaysia will receive about 689,000 medical tourists by 2012
(IMTJ, 2011b).
The Ministry of Health reported that Malaysia has achieved US$
101.65 million from the medical tourism sector in 2010. The revenue
is expected to further grow to about US$ 116.5 million in 2011
(IMTJ, 2011a).
Main markets: Indonesia (72.0% ), Singapore (10.0%), Japan
(5.0%) and West Asia (2.0%) (UNESCAP, 2007).
The majority of medical tourists travel to Penang (61%), while
Malacca and Kuala Lumpur only receive 19 percent and 11% of
health tourists respectively (Ormond, 2011).
Penang is known as attracting primarily lower-middle income
patients from the nearby Indonesian island of Sumatra (Ormond,
2011).

MALAYSIA: GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES

Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council: package and

standardize the prices for healthcare services and to
market them internationally.
Government efforts: extended the visa period for health
patients; tax incentives to refurbish wards and rooms in
private hospitals (Foong, 2009).
The government is offering 100% tax exemption to private
hospitals that are willing to construct new hospitals or
expand, modernize, and refurbish their existing ones
(IMTJ, 2011c).
The health tourism web site
(http://www.myhealthcare.gov.my/en/index.asp) produced
by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (2010) provides
comprehensive information about products, prices and
places of healthcare services.
The Malaysian government: attracting local and foreign
investments.

MALAYSIA: PULL FACTORS

Based on the quality and affordability (value for money) of

healthcare and receptiveness to foreign investment,
Malaysia ranked third in the world behind Panama and
Brazil, and the first in Asia (Yanos, 2008).
Tourism Malaysia (2007): Focus on high quality and low
price offerings and short waiting list, well-trained and
highly qualified medical personnel, world-class hospitals
equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, and
excellent English proficient staff
The country has a harmonious, plural, multi-cultural and
multi-racial society practicing a variety of religions (thus
offer multi-ethnic and multi-lingual hospital staff from
various religious denominations).
Malaysias strong Islamic credentials (Henderson, 2003),
where hospitals are serving halal food and practicing
Islamic protocols, is an attractive element in attracting the
Middle Easterns (Connell, 2006).

MALAYSIA: TREATMENTS AND

ALTERNATIVES
Treatments: curative medical treatments, plastic
surgery, cardiac procedures, fertility treatment,
general screening and wellness, and orthopedics
surgery .
Malaysia also offers alternative medical treatments,
such as traditional Chinese medicine that may include
acupuncture and Indian ayurveda treatments (The
Economic Times, 2011).

MALAYSIA: QUALITY
Quality: most of the private medical centers have
achieved certification for internationally
recognized quality (e.g. ISO 9002) or the
Malaysian Society for Quality of Health (MSQH)
(APHM, 2008).
Joint Commission International (JCI) is an
important factor for medical tourism related
agencies to recommend overseas healthcare
centers to their customers
Quality: 8 JCI accredited hospitals in the
country (JCI, 2011), located mainly Kuala
Lumpur (6) and one each in the island city of
Penang and Kuching.

MALAYSIA-BRAIN DRAIN

Brain drain: how to prevent and lure Malaysian

doctors back to the country.

COMPETITORS ANALYSIS
Thailand, Singapore and India

THAILAND: DEVELOPMENT

Started in 1970s: Western countries demanded for

cosmetic and other alternative treatments, such as, sex
change (Connell, 2006), which were normally not approved
by their government or were beyond the boundary of their
national or private health insurance coverage (Cohen,
2008).
Financial markets liberalizations in the 1990s
strengthen the expansion of private hospitals.
Financial Crisis: effort from both government and private
sector to lure international patients to prop up the
survival of private hospitals
Markets: Japan, the United States, United Kingdom,
and Middle East.
Estimated revenue to reach US$4 billion by 2012

THAILAND: QUALITY AND

INTERPRETERS

14 hospitals in Thailand that have obtained the

Joint Commission International (JCI)
accreditation
Bangkok (10 out of 14 JCI accredited hospitals).
Other medical tourism destinations: Chiang Mai, Koh
Samui, and Phuket.
Private and some public hospitals provide
interpreters and well-trained and certified
medical personnel from overseas.
Phuket Hospital: interpreters in 15 languages, and
Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok is
said to have seventy interpreters.
The hospital has about 200 surgeons who have
obtained certification from the United States .

THAILAND: PROMOTION
.

The

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched Thailand Medical

Tourism Blog Contest in October 2010 which attracted 219 participants from
24 countries, to create awareness, widen opportunities for worldwide medical
tourists to access to online information on medical tourism in Thailand and
enhance confidence among foreign medical tourists on Thailands medical
tourisms quality (IMTJ, 2010d).
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) promotes medical tourism online
through e-marketing campaign, such as the Healthy Beauty Holiday in
Thailand campaign in December 2010 e.g.: dental treatments, cosmetic
surgery, medical check-ups, etc.).
Campaign You are in Good Hands which promotes the safety and
credibility of Thailand in providing medical services, and stimulate higher
arrival and longer stay among medical tourists (IMTJ, 2010d).
Familiarization tour: the government invited some of the major global news
agencies, including Fox News (US), Xinhua (China), VNA (Vietnam), Bernama
(Malaysia), etc., to Chiang Mai (March 2011), Phuket (April 2011), Chanthaburi
(May 2011), and border provinces in the South (June 2011) for a few days tour
to familiarize the available medical and wellness treatments
(OkMedicalTourism, 2011).

SINGAPORE

The top medical tourism destinations in Asia, Singapore Tourism Board (2010)
itself claimed Singapore as the Asias leading medical hub in 2009.
Singapore is targeting to attract 1 million patients by 2012, with expected
revenue between US$1.6 to 1.8 billion.
Top markets: Indonesians, Malaysians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and
Japanese. The majority of its European and American patients are residents
who live in Asia (Connell, 2006).
Quality: 18 hospitals and medical centers in Singapore that obtained JCI
accreditation (JCI, 2011).
Quality: Compete on top notch quality instead of price; key competitive
advantages are excellence in quality, trustworthiness, safety, and international
accreditation.
Offer high quality and complex medical treatments: neurosurgical procedures
and liver and heart transplants; (separation of the Nepalese twins, heart and
liver transplant, the first percutaneous aortic valve replacement, and the
worlds first operation for a rare ectopic pregnancy with a single incision
exclusively through the belly button).
The drawback: the most expensive, but Connell (2006) reported that Singapore
has considered of setting its rates on par or slightly below Thailand

SINGAPORE
The

unique aspect: the industry is developed not only for

the economic benefit but also to support the sustainability of
expensive medical services in the country.
The small population of Singapore will not be able to sustain
the maintenance cost of high quality medical facilities that
are also commonly shared by the locals.
The

government is involved in signing agreements with

some Middle Eastern nations in order to offer medical
services.
Organize

world-class symposiums, conferences, and

courses in the medical field, attract not only medical
tourists, but potential investors and international
scholars in the field.

SINGAPORE
Ministry

of Health, SingaporeMedicine provides information including guides

to available treatment facilities, treatment costs, and tourism activities to the
international patients.
Collaboration with reputable western hospitals such as John Hopkins
University Hospital, Pennsylvania University Medical Center, Massachusetts
General Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente in order to update its latest medical
trends
Parkway, Singapores premier medical provider and the largest private
medical group in Southeast Asia, runs some of the well-known hospitals in the
region, such as Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles, and East Shore hospitals. As
medical tourism flourished in Asia, the group also ventured into Brunei, China,
India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and United Arab Emirates (Chanda,
2002; IMTJ, 2010b), establishing its own hospitals or forming joint ventures
with partners.
Raffles Medical Group, ventures overseas through global strategic alliances
and integrated networks with medical organizations from developed countries

INDIA

Private health expenditure is 67%, compared on 33% government.

Started in the mid-1990: following the economic liberalization,
spurred the expansion of private hospitals that are equipped with
higher technological and quality medical facilities (Vijaya, 2010).
Forecast that Indias medical tourism worth may reach US$2
billion by 2012
India also highlights the low cost of its medical services.
However, during the first medical tourism trade show in Toronto,
Canada in November 2009, India highlighted very little about low
cost message in its promotional materials.
The top three promotional messages: credentials or
accreditations, list of services, and specializations.
Indias key competitive advantage: highly trained and qualified
medical personnel.
Excellent ability to converse in English among the staff, and its
agility in adopting western technology and medical protocols.

INDIA

17 JCI accredited hospitals (JCI, 2011). The majority in New Delhi and
Mumbai.

Contemporary global medical tourism center: unani, ayurveda, and

homeopathic treatments. Numerous traditional healthcare centers are
mushrooming in many parts of India such as the ayurvedic school in Kottakkal,
Kerala (Chanda, 2002).

World- renowned for medical studies: 229 recognized medical colleges in 2010,
producing almost 34,000 medical graduates yearly

Welcome foreign direct investments. E.g. a German-owned company to set up

a 200-bed hospital in Delhi with a staggering high foreign equity ownership of
90%.

Several incentives: easier obtainment of long-term capital for new establishment

or expansion of medical facilities, higher allowable depreciation rate for old
equipment to encourage earlier replacement by new and more advanced
equipment, and reduction of importation tax on life saving equipment (UNESCAP,
2007).

INDIA

Apollo group plans to set up another 32 new hospitals in India by

2012, on top of their current 30 hospital fleets and venture
overseas in establishing its chain of hospitals in Nigeria,
Shanghai, and Vienna (Agarwal and Bhagrath, 2010).
India attended the first medical tourism trade show in Toronto,
Canada in November 2009, named the Medical Tourism
Destination 2009. Brochures, flyers, and booklets were widely
disseminated during the trade show , providing substantial and
relevant information on medical tourism in India to the potential
tourists and investors.
The Indian government also extended the market development
assistance (MDA) scheme for JCI and National Accreditation
Board (NABH) certified medical facilities, where financial
assistance is provided for printing promotional materials,
attending trade exhibitions or study tours in relations to medical
tourism (Ministry of Tourism India, 2011
Brain drain also an issue

EMPIRICAL STUDY IN KL
Objectives of the study
To identify the demographic profile of inbound
health tourists in Kuala Lumpur.
To explore travel motivation (pull factors) among
inbound health tourists in Kuala Lumpur.
To determine healthcare consumption and
spending behaviour among inbound health
tourists in Kuala Lumpur.
The determine the satisfaction of medical tourists
To examine the influences of demographic profile
on travel motivation, satisfaction and spending
behaviour among inbound health tourists in
Kuala Lumpur.

METHODOLOGY

The selection of the hospitals was by purposeful sampling.

The hospitals involved were KPJ Ampang Puteri Specialist
Hospital, Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya,
Sunway Medical Centre, Pantai Medical Centre (Bangsar)
and Pantai Hospital Klang.
Data collection was from March 2008 to November 2008.
400 questionnaires distributed but only 138 questionnaires
were completed and returned giving the response rate of
34.5%.
The numbers of questionnaire returned from private
hospitals were 43 (Sunway Medical Centre), 21 (Pantai
Hospital Klang), 25 (Pantai Medical Centre (Bangsar), 22
(Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya) and 27 (KPJ
Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital).

RESULTS: TOURISTS PROFILES

Females

(56.5%), males (42.8%).

(41.3%) (21-40 years old) and 38.4 % (41-60 years).
Degree (29.0%), high school (26.1%) and college (20.3%)
qualifications.
Health tourists from South East Asia (52.2%), European
(18.1%), 10.1% (Australia and New Zealand).
The top five health tourists by nationalities among
respondents were Indonesia (47.8%), Australia (5.1%), New
Zealand (5.1%), the Philippines (4.3%), India (4.3%) and
Sudan (2.9%).
Value for money (Mean=9.55), excellent medical services
(Mean=9.50), supporting services (Mean=8.85), cultural
similarity (Mean=7.82) and religion (Mean=6.20).

RESULTS: TOURISTS PROFILES

The main sources of information: friends and relatives

(60.2%), the Internet (14.5%) and travel agents (12.3%).
Respondents largely travelled to Malaysia in the company
of their family and relatives (47.1%), spouses (15.2%) and
friends (13.0%).
The actual number of travel companions varied from none
to thirteen people in a group with an average of two others.
The main healthcare services: medical treatment (41.3%),
cosmetic procedures (20.3%) and medical check-ups
(14.5%), and surgical procedures (7.2%).
Examples of the medical treatments: hypertension, kidney
illness, diabetes, rheumatology and heart diseases.
Other activities: touring (21.0%), shopping (17.4%) and
visits to friends and relatives (VFR) (8.0 %).

RESULTS: SPENDING BEHAVIOUR

Min
(MYR)

Max
(MYR)

Sum
(MYR)

Mean
(MYR)

150

107, 000

1, 127,840

12, 259.13

35

36, 800

355, 618

3, 743.35

Accommodation

100

59, 000

267, 050

3, 256.71

Organized tours

200

15, 000

63, 200

2, 747.83

60

35, 000

215, 420

2, 504.88

Miscellaneous

50

50, 000

87, 300

2, 494.29

Food and beverages

25

50, 000

146, 885

1, 650.39

Entertainment

50

10, 000

47, 870

1, 087.95

Domestic
transportation
Total Expenditure

15

10, 000

53, 146

617.98

250

427, 500

2, 818, 640

26, 844.19

Spending Components
Healthcare services
International airfares

Shopping

RESULTS

The predominance of female respondents: 20.3% of

the respondents in this survey had cosmetic
procedures and of these 89.3% were females.
79.7% were between 21 to 60 years old.
Respondents aged 20 years and below and above 60
years were represented only by 9.4% each.
Thus there is potential for further development of
healthcare services for these market segments.
Senior tourists needs: active, healthy and social
destination (Pollock & William, 2000).
Younger tourists as they are even more likely than
other medical tourists to travel with companions
(parents).

RESULTS

Value for money was the most important.

The next important pull factors were excellent medical services and
supporting services
Motivation factors of cultural similarity and religion were of less
importance.
ASEAN tourists, cultural similarity appeared to be an important
motivation element in choosing Kuala Lumpur as a tourist destination.
Respondents of European descent were more likely to undergo cosmetic
procedures in Malaysia.
Further exploration in the latest cosmetic procedure products and
services which are not yet available in some countries (e.g. stem cell therapy)
could create greater pull factors for Malaysia. These medical procedures are
normally not supported by health insurance
Average total spending of health tourists was MYR 26,844 compared with
MYR 2, 247.4 (12 times more)by leisure tourists in 2008 (Tourism
Malaysia, 2008).
The average spending on healthcare services among health tourists in this
study was MYR 12, 259. This was 18 and 3.5 times higher than what had been
respectively recorded by the APHM (MYR 86) and Oon (2006) (MYR 3, 521).

RESULTS

Health tourists travel on average with two other people. 2008 medical
tourism related tourists could have been as high as one million in Malaysia.
The average length of stay among respondents was 15 days while the average
spending as stated earlier was MYR 26, 844.19. Might have contributed MYR
9 billion to the Malaysian economy in 2008.
Combination of purposeful and convenience sampling higher spending
tourists in Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur may also have attracted the middle-upper income health
tourists as compared with lower-middle income health tourists in Penang
(Ormond, 2011).
All these impressive figures however clearly demonstrate that health tourism
is indeed a high yield industry.
Tourists of European descent spent a considerably higher amount while
in Malaysia compared with shorter distance travellers from other Asian
countries.
Female respondents spent three times more than males in total
expenditure.
Females spent more in the expenditure components of healthcare services,
international airfares, accommodation and domestic transportation.

RESULTS

60.2% of respondents gained information about healthcare

in Malaysia from their friends and family members who
either have visited or are living in the country.
Word-of- mouth (especially from friends and family) is an
effective risk-reducing strategy.
Focus should then be given to providing healthcare services
which exceed the expectation of health tourists, as this will
generate positive word-of-mouth.
Comparatively, only 14.5% of respondents relied on the
Internet as information source.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Biosecurity and nosocomial risks to both the
patients home country and the medical tourism
destination. Higher rates of cross infections,
spread of pandemics, transplant failures.
The nature of obtaining organs for transplant
procedures. Illegal organ trades have been
reported in India where transplant treatment for
foreign patients is widely demanded, especially
kidney.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The lack of governmental safeguards ensuring
the quality of healthcare, the safety and
effectiveness of certain procedures and the
quality of physicians and other healthcare
professionals
Upon returning from health treatment overseas,
health tourists often have difficulty in obtaining
follow up from local physicians for their post
treatments, as the physicians do not want to be
held liable for any complication(s).
There is also concern on legal issues with regards
to the negligence of medical service providers in
developing nations

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

In America, Burkett (2007) proposed three
solutions in order to make sure its citizens enjoy
quality healthcare in other countries.
These are regulation on insurance to cover health
tourism, emphasis on international hospital
accreditation and restriction to the approved
health tourism destinations.
The insurance companies have now offered new
healthcare plans with the changing trend of
healthcare. The healthcare financer may opt to
offer premium coverage of treatments in other
countries by foreign providers .
Brain drain problem (e.g. Malaysia and India)

GOING GLOBAL: SAFETY

Safety and security: Following the event of September 11,

tourists, especially from European countries are wearier
with the prospect of visiting Muslim countries, including
Malaysia.
European tourists compared with those nearby Indonesia
stay longer and spend more (up to three times).
Thus the role of government is to work on strengthening
the countrys stability, both in terms of politics as well as
socio-economics, which often are interlinks.
Malaysia should continuously maintain its status as a
moderate Muslim country. Any movement of extremism,
such as tourist attacks (e.g. Indonesia and Southern
Thailand) must not be tolerated.
Attract not only non-Muslim tourists but also the majority
of Muslims.

ACCESSIBILITY
Visa (ease of visa and length)
Transportation link: external (inbound) and
internal (domestic)
Any effort to ease tourists movement (e.g. inhouse travel agencies)
Information accessibility: websites (content,
features, functionality etc.)

GOING GLOBAL: STRENGTHEN THE

CORE PRODUCTS AND
SUPPLEMENTARY PRODUCTS

Satisfaction survey: evidenced that Malaysian core

products and services (e.g. doctors, nurses, medical
equipment an facilities) are highly rated.
Could be improved are supplementary service
elements: depth of advice, friendliness and level of
empathy.
Others: domestic transportation, parking, signage etc.

GOING GLOBAL: QUALITY=JCI

Branding strategy through accreditation.

The most internationally accepted accreditation is the
Joint Commission International (JCI).
A not-for-profit American organization that provides
standards and qualifications for medical facilities
(http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/)
The determining factor used by the medical tourism related
agencies to recommend to potential medical tourists to
purchase medical services overseas.
Malaysia (8), Singapore (18), India (17) and Thailand (14)

GOING GLOBAL: ISLAMIC MEDICAL

TOURISM
Being a moderate Islamic appeals both to Muslim
and non-Muslim.
With greater awareness of halal tourism,
Malaysia could well positioned itself as medical
providers for Muslim patients, by introducing the
concept of halal medical tourism which stressing
on the use of halal medical products and services.

GOING GLOBAL: THAI

PERSPECTIVES

Thailand: famous for its friendly culture and as

well as being an exotic Eastern holiday destination
among westerners.
This augurs well for medical tourism (especially
cosmetic surgery) which requires a period of
recuperation which could be carried out in luxury
resorts in Thailand.
Thailand: the culture is more relaxed and more
permissive which has been the main cultural
attraction.
Thus many of European and American prefer to visit
Thailand compared to Malaysia.
As for front liners, more training is required, and
perhaps training of front lining could be
benchmarked by the attitude of service providers in
Thailand.

GOING GLOBAL: INDIA

PERSPECTIVES
India: the cheapest destination which offers
excellent medical facilities and services, together
with the increasing popularity of contemporary
medical treatment.
The popularity of also complementary medicine
which gains increasing acceptance among public
worldwide. India is famous for medical therapies
such unanis, Ayurveda etc.
Cultural link with India: Malaysia could promote
itself under tagline of Malaysia Truly Asia which
proudly acknowledged the large majority of three
races live in harmony in the country: Indian, Malay
and Chinese.
India also produces medical doctors from its
many internationally accredited medical schools.

GOING GLOBAL: SINGAPORE

PERSPECTIVES

Quality, Quality, Quality

Singapore is the premier medical tourist destination of all
and also with the reputation of performing groundbreaking medical treatment and procedures
Like Parkway, Singapore, Malaysia could extend medical
tourism services to other countries in the region: Brunei,
China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and United
Arab Emirates (Chanda, 2002; IMTJ, 2010b), establishing
its own hospitals or forming joint ventures with partners.
Like Raffles Medical Group, Singapore, Malaysia should
make efforts to venture overseas through global strategic
alliances and integrated networks with medical
organizations from developed countries .

GOING GLOBAL: MALAYSIA

Increase products and services offered. The product must be high yield, ground
breaking medical treatment and procedures.
Among high yield medical treatment that is discovered by this study is cosmetic
surgery. Further exploration needs to be carried out in developing new treatments
which are not yet available in certain countries such as stem cell therapy.
Perhaps effort should be carried to develop the expertise which requires patient to
stay longer for chronic illnesses such as medical and orthopedic rehabilitation and
cancer treatment and disability rehabilitation. Longer stay translates to bigger
spending among health tourists.
Perhaps more products and services could be designed to cater for pediatric patients
as well as elderly patients. Pediatric patients are more likely to come with their
parents. While elderly people are often having chronic illnesses, have more time and
money to spend for their medical treatment.
Malaysia should avoid getting involved in controversial practices, which may tarnish
the image of the country, such as the provision of assisted suicide and illegal organ
trades. The cultural sensitivity such as sex change operation may also have to be
considered

GOING GLOBAL: TACKLING BRAIN

DRAIN
Establishing the country as an attractive place to
live can reduce the international brain drain,
particularly among the professional medical
personnel (Ramirez de Arellano, 2007).
The provision of advanced and high technology
work environments may be viewed as an
attractive element to local talents to remain
working in the country.
Medical schools: produce doctors offer attractive
scholarship and jobs.
Competitive salary

THANK YOU