May 22, 2023
PETALING JAYA – The reopening of the country’s borders after the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic has revitalised the nation’s medical tourism sector, says the head of a prominent healthcare group.
KPJ Healthcare chairman Datuk Md Ariff Mahmood said the reopening of the country’s borders made it possible for the sector to regain its dominance, especially through health tourists from regional countries.
“These medical tourists returning to Malaysia are from the region, namely Singapore and Indonesia,” he told reporters at a press conference yesterday after the official launch of the healthcare group’s latest hospital, Damansara Specialist Hospital 2 (DSH2).
The launch was graced by Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
Md Ariff expects the number of medical tourists seeking treatment at DSH2 to rise to 50% of its patients by the year’s end, from the current 30%.
The Star recently highlighted that Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry had recorded more than RM1.2bil in revenue in 2022, reflecting the sector’s recovery.
The nation’s borders fully reopened to international travellers in April last year following the lifting of restrictions imposed since March 2020 due to the global pandemic.
Earlier, Sultan Ibrahim, accompanied by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, was given a brief video presentation on DSH2 before signing a plaque to mark the occasion.
His Majesty was later taken on a tour of the next-generation hospital and briefed on its facilities and equipment.
The 300-bed hospital houses seven operating theatres, 10 intensive care units and 54 consultant suites, among others.
The 11-storey facility, located in Bukit Lanjan off the Damansara-Puchong Highway, began operations in September last year.
Also present at the event were Johor state secretary Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani and JCorp president and chief executive Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed lbrahim.