KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia Healthcare hosted the fourth installment of its annual medical travel market intelligence conference, insigHT2019, at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Officiated by the Honourable Minister of Finance, Malaysia, YB Tuan Lim Guan Eng, this year, insigHT2019 showcased the country's healthcare travel industry's accomplishments over the past 10 years.
Themed "Differentiation for Excellence", the international annual conference brought together experts and thought leaders to discuss and share insights on the latest trends and challenges within the healthcare travel industry. Organised by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), the two-day conference also unveiled the industry's inaugural industry report "Malaysia Healthcare Chronicles". The report details the nation's healthcare travel achievements over the past ten years including the strategic initiatives taken in driving the industry towards recording a double-digit growth year-on-year.
Malaysia's healthcare travel industry has been out-performing the global and regional growth rates with an encouraging CAGR of 17% from 2015 – 2018. In 2018 alone, revenue receipts reached RM1.5 billion from an excess of 1.2 million healthcare traveller arrivals, contributing up to RM6 billion to the GDP. This economic impact accounts for expenditures such as transportation, accommodation, tourism activities, which includes shopping, and many other activities. As a niche sector, healthcare travel comprises some 7.6% of total tourism revenues and is expected to grow strongly going forward.
Malaysia has gained international recognition for having world-class quality, easily accessible and affordable healthcare. International Living, a US-based organisation, ranked Malaysia as the top country for healthcare in the Global Retirement Index for four years in a row from 2015 to 2018. International Medical Travel Journal, UK has also recently ranked Malaysia as the top destination for healthcare travel in its Medical Tourism Facts and Figures 2018: Report. This is thanks to the strong foundation our healthcare system is based on, formed by the concerted effort put in place by both the private and public sectors to promote Malaysia as a leading global destination for healthcare.
Chief Executive Officer of MHTC, Sherene Azli commented that, "Malaysia Healthcare has moved from strength to strength. Attracting an increasing number of healthcare travellers every year, we have earned the trust of many. We strive further to build upon the trust we have and equip ourselves with the necessary tools to care for more international patients based on our medical capabilities and capacity."
insigHT2019 saw an almost 80% increase in delegates from the previous year, with participants comprising industry movers and shakers, government officials and industry stakeholders. insigHT2019 sees heightened collaboration between the public and private sectors, with more private sector players from other industries coming on board. Well-known players such as TMOne, Maybank, Flywire, EcoWorld, MJ Life Health Screening Centre and many more, shared their expertise and valuable knowledge to further advance Malaysia's healthcare travel industry.
"TM ONE, the business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), is committed in enabling a hyperconnected healthcare ecosystem that provides end-to-end digital solutions for Malaysia's healthcare industry players. We are excited to be part of the growth ahead, especially in the area of healthcare travel," said Imri Mokhtar, Chief Operating Officer, TM, the title sponsor of this year's conference.
insigHT2019 also featured distinguished local and international industry panelists and speakers such as Dr. Laszlo Puczko, Directory of Industry Intelligence, Resources for Leisure Assets, Vienna; Lutz Lungwitz, President, German Medical Wellness Association, Germany; Kotaro Tanaka, Marketing Director, Medipolis Proton Therapy Research Centre, Japan; Andre Musto, Regional Vice President APAC, Merck Biopharma, Singapore; Dr. Pansak Sugkraroek, Senior Brand Ambassador, VitalLife Scientific Wellness Centre, Thailand; Sherene Azli, Chief Executive Officer of MHTC; Datuk Dr. Kuljit Singh, President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM); Dato' Seri Dr Mohd Azhari Yakub, Chief Executive Officer, IJN, Malaysia; and more.
This conference is one of the many initiatives to streamline the direction and strategies of the multifarious players within the healthcare travel industry towards growing the industry in a consistent and sustainable manner. Come 2020, Malaysia Healthcare will be making a bigger global mark through its inaugural Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel 2020 (MYHT2020) campaign, running in tandem with Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020).
"As we move into 2020, we want to extend the invitation to all healthcare travellers to come Experience Malaysia Healthcare, where we will have so much in store for everyone," said Sherene Azli, CEO of MHTC.
ABOUT THE MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COUNCIL
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency that has been entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country's healthcare travel scene. Founded in 2009 to facilitate and grow Malaysia's healthcare travel industry under the brand "Malaysia Healthcare" with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination. Since then, MHTC has worked to streamline industry players and service providers into a more focused development strategy to raise Malaysia's profile in healthcare travel on an international stage. It is an example of a successful model of public-private partnerships (PPP) in growing the healthcare travel sector in Malaysia.
End-to-End Seamless Care
MHTC Call Centre, contactable at 1-800-188-688 (within Malaysia) or at +603 272 68 688 (outside Malaysia), was set up to handle all healthcare travel inquiries. The MHTC Call Centre operates from Mondays to Fridays from 9.00am to 6.00pm (GMT +8).
The MHTC Concierge and Lounge (MCL), which is also integrated with the MHTC's Call Centre, is a one-stop centre that provides healthcare travellers with easy access to all the information needed to have a comfortable and fruitful stay in Malaysia. The MCL has been set up at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Arrival Hall (Gate 8), KLIA2 Arrival Hall and the Penang International Airport for:
A team of dedicated personnel will assist with information that caters to each health traveller's needs from hospitals and treatment centres to certified doctors, treatment available, accommodation, and all other healthcare travel needs.
Potential healthcare travellers can also obtain information on seeking healthcare in Malaysia including medical treatments, accommodation and travel at these websites:
MHTC Social Media
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