Medical Tourism – Malaysia
Tan Sri Dato‘ Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman
President
International Medical University (IMU), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Medical Tourism - Malaysia
• Development of Medical Tourism – Malaysia
• Medical Tourism Revenue, Arrivals, Costs
• Study on Medical Tourism – Kuala Lumpur
• Quality
• Medical Tourism
– Impact on equity, quality, efficiency
1
Medical Tourism - Malaysia
Definition
•All 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
(G Musa, U. Malaya)
Source:http://www.mpc.gov.my/mpc/images/file/Highlights/APIC_Paper%20Presentation/Goi
ng_Global_Medical_Tourism.pdf
2
Medical Tourism - Malaysia
•Have always been part of the healthcare
services provided, but was a very small part of
the workload
•Tended to be localised to towns with
traditional links with neighbouring countries eg
Penang, Malacca
3
Medical Tourism - Malaysia
•Started to be given prominence
1997/1998 Asian Financial crisis,
collection of relevant data
after
with
•Included in government planning agenda,
which included relevant interaction between
government agencies and industry members
involved
4
Medical Tourism - Malaysia
Government
•Extension of visa period for health patients
•Tax incentive to refurbish wards, rooms in
private hospitals
•Tax exemption to private hospital to expand,
modernise, refurbish
•Ministry of Health developed health tourism
website in 2010 – information on products,
prices, location of healthcare services
•Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council formed in
2009
5
Medical Tourism Receipts/Revenue in Malaysia,
2000-2011
Source: Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council; “Medical Tourism and the state in Malaysia
and Singapore, National University of Singapore“, Chee 2010
6
Medical Tourist Arrivals to Malaysia, 2011
Source: “Overview of the development of Malaysia Healthcare towards Medical Tourism“,
Dr Mary Wong Lai Lin, CEO of Malaysia Healthcare Tourism Council, 2012
7
Comparison of Healthcare Travelers from Top
20 Country of Origin
No
Country of
Origin
Healthcare
Travellers
2010
2011
Increase from
previous year (%)
1
Indonesia
261,177
335,150
28.32
2
India
16,940
18,604
9.82
3
Japan
14,937
16,111
7.85
4
United
Kingdom
8,254
12,704
53.91
5
China and
Hong Kong
7,941
11,886
49.68
6
United States
7,557
10,584
40.05
7
Australia
7,157
9,678
35.22
8
Iran
3,374
8,836
161.88
9
Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya
6,008
7,225
20.25
10
Nepal
3,179
6,727
111.60
8
Comparison of Healthcare Travelers from Top
20 Country of Origin
No
Country of
Origin
Healthcare
Travellers
2010
2011
Increase from
previous year (%)
11
Saudia Arabia
5,069
6,580
29.80
12
Myanmar
3,161
5.885
86.17
13
Singapore
4,307
5,879
36.49
14
Philippines
4,143
5,602
35.21
15
Virgin Islands,
British
1,151
5,479
376.02
16
Others
7,305
5,367
-26.52
17
Bangladesh
3,332
5,071
52.19
18
Germany
3,375
3,991
18.25
19
Korea, Republic
of
1,706
3,521
106.38
20
France
2,407
3,394
41.00
9
Total Number of Foreign Patients in Malaysia
Source: Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council; “Medical Tourism and the state in Malaysia
and Singapore, National University of Singapore“, Chee 2010
10
Price of Selected Medical Procedures in the US,
Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia (In US$)
Source: Woodman (2007), as cited in Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council 2012
11
Medical Tourism - Malaysia
•Empirical study on Medical Tourism in Kuala
Lumpur – sample of 5 hospitals
(G Musa, U. Malaya, 2011)
Source:
http://www.mpc.gov.my/mpc/images/file/Highlights/APIC_Paper%20Presentation/Going_Glo
bal_Medical_Tourism.pdf
•400 questionnaires, 138 completed (34.5%)
12
Health Tourist Profiles – Kuala Lumpur
Female
Cosmetic
Surgery
56.5%
Male
20.3%
42.8%
Female
89.3%
Between 21-60
years old
79.7%
SE Asia
52.2%
Australia
5.1%
European
18.1%
New Zealand
5.1%
13
Pull factors
•“Value for money”
•‘Excellent medical services’ and supporting
services
•Cultural similarity – important to ASEAN
tourists, but not to others
14
Quality
•National Register of Specialists
•Ministry of Health & Academy of Medicine Malaysia
– Qualifications
– Training
– Experience
•Accreditation of Medical Schools
– Malaysian Medical Council, 1997 with support of
ECFMG, USA
•Accreditation of Hospitals
– Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH),
1998, (based on Australian Standards)
15
MSQH
• ISQua Accreditation certification on MSQH
Surveyor Training Program December 2011November 2015
• ISQua
Accreditation
standards
June 2012-May 2016
certification
on
• ISQua
Accreditation
organisation
June 2012-May 2016
certification
for
16
Accreditation of Hospitals
• MSQH (February 2013)
Government hospitals
60
Private hospitals
30
• Joint Commission International
2011
9
2012
6
• MSQH, JCI – accredited by ISQua
–International standards
–JCI – hospitals that market internationally
17
Malaysia – Comparative Advantages
• Lower labour costs
• Large skilled work force
• Facility with English language
• Availability of alternative therapies
• Attractive natural environment
• Health facility, technology
18
Medical Tourism
Impact on equity, quality, efficiency
Equity
•Affected if gains largely benefit the well to do
•Poor can only benefit with better access to healthcare
if resources were reallocated in public sector when
well to do make greater use of private sector
•Brain drain to private sector – problem for public
sector
•Two tier health system to be avoided
19
Medical Tourism
Impact on equity, quality, efficiency
Quality
• Improvements with superior management, better
information systems, foreign investment and
expertise
• Through better standards of service, superior health
outcomes
• Not through influx of technology
• Need for proper regulatory environmental
Under regulated environment – detrimental to
overall equity and efficiency of healthcare system
20
Medical Tourism
Impact on equity, quality, efficiency
Efficiency
•Avoid a two-tier health system
•Effective regulatory framework to ensure
overall equity and efficiency of health sector
•Need for clear national policies on healthcare
and health financing
21
Medical Tourism Malaysia
• Growing contribution to the economy
• Heightened concern on quality of healthcare
services by authorities beyond Healthcare
sector
• Potential issues of concern:
– Equity, efficiency of healthcare services
– Avoid two tier healthcare system
– Need for clear policies on healthcare
financing
22