THE LAUNCH OF THE MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COUNCIL

WELCOMING REMARKS BY Y.B. DATO’ SRI LIOW TIONG LAI
MINISTER OF HEALTH MALAYSIA

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE
MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COUNCIL

AT PUTRA WORLD TRADE CENTRE
21 DECEMBER 2009

Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak,
Perdana Menteri Malaysia.

Y.B. Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop,
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (EPU).

Excellencies,

Dif-dif Jemputan,

Tan Sri-Tan Sri, Dato’-Dato’, Datin-Datin,

Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian.

Selamat petang dan salam sejahtera

1.    Terlebih dahulu, di kesempatan ini saya ingin mengucapkan selamat datang dan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan kepada barisan dif-dif kehormat, para jemputan, pihak media, seterusnya semua hadirin yang dihormati sekalian yang telah sudi hadir ke majlis pelancaran ini. Izinkan saya meneruskan ucapan saya dalam Bahasa Inggeris.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

2.    First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our beloved Prime Minister, YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, who has so graciously agreed to officiate at today’s historic event despite his very heavy schedule. His presence with us here today underscores the importance that our Government gives to, and the commitment that we have towards health tourism.

3.    Health tourism, or ‘Healthcare Travel’ as we now prefer to call it, is regarded as one of the most rapidly growing economic activities in the world. Recognizing the strength of our private hospitals, the Government has identified healthcare travel as an area that Malaysia has great competitive advantage. Malaysia is fortunate in that we possess a strong foundation for competing against the world’s best in healthcare travel, as we have the infrastructure, the facilities, the expertise, and the regulatory framework to ensure quality services at affordable prices.

4.    The healthcare travel phenomenon has certainly captured people’s imaginations, not only because people are becoming more conscious of their healthcare needs but also because of rising costs globally. This has resulted in the growth of a new industry with the potential to generate foreign exchange and significant multiplier effects on the economy, making it a new source of economic growth. The Ministry of Health is indeed honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of spearheading Malaysia’s thrust into this emerging field of revenue-generating economic activity.

5.    Since assuming the leadership in promoting healthcare travel, the Ministry has identified a group of 35 reputable hospitals for promotional activities. Among the criteria that we have chosen for the selection of hospitals in this group are that the hospital:
i.    must be a member of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM).
ii.    must have Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), ISO or other international accreditation. This is to ensure that it meets established standards and quality.
iii.    offers major specialties and/or some sub-specialties.
iv.    provides for a minimum of 50 beds.
v.    must have its own webpage. This is important as in the age of globalization, the internet is the gateway for international patients to learn about the hospital’s capabilities.

6.    Together with the APHM, the Ministry of Health has, since the year 2007, actively spearheaded promotional activities overseas in relation to healthcare travel. To date, we have organized seven (7) “Malaysia Healthcare Seminars & Exhibitions” in various countries within the region, providing exposure to treatment modalities that are available in medical centres in Malaysia. We have also participated in 8 other exhibitions and conferences abroad, with the most recent event being the 2nd World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress 2009 in Los Angeles, United States of America. We have received good support from the APHM and its members, Tourism Malaysia and also MATRADE in organizing these seminars and exhibitions. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their contributions.

7.    Secondly, the Ministry of Health has initiated a branding campaign for the Malaysian Healthcare Travel industry, which culminated in the launching of its logo and website on 9 June 2009. The brand “Malaysia Healthcare” draws together all healthcare providers, medical facilitators and travel agents, government ministries and agencies, and all relevant stakeholders in its promotional exercises of Malaysia as a healthcare travel destination. With the tagline: “Quality Care for your Peace of Mind”, we are reinforcing our reputation for high quality and value-for-money healthcare services. The Malaysia Healthcare brand has been marketed in various print and mass media, such as the Reader’s Digest magazine and the Discovery Channel.

8.    Thirdly, we realized that for those who are not familiar with Malaysia, there is no better means of appreciating Malaysia’s uniqueness other than seeing it for themselves. Thus, the Ministry of Health has been bringing potential buyers of healthcare travel services to Malaysia, by providing foreign facilitators, insurance brokers and agents, and reporters exposure to the healthcare facilities and capabilities available in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Melaka.

9.    Fourthly, the Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Tourism and APHM, have also collaborated with a well-known travel writer to publish the Malaysian edition of the series ‘Patients Beyond Borders’ – a guide to affordable world-class health tourism facilities which was launched in July 2009. This book is distributed during the promotional exercises undertaken by the Ministry of Health. We are also in the midst of discussion to publish a regular magazine, “Healthcare Malaysia”, to promote healthcare travel to Malaysia. We hope to be able to distribute this magazine to all our mission offices and other important outlets overseas by next year.

10.    Fifthly, we are encouraging the healthcare providers to up the ante and strive to become quality healthcare providers by attaining accreditation from the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) or other internationally-recognized bodies such as the Joint-Commission International (JCI) and ISO. Currently, three (3) private hospitals, namely the Penang Adventist Hospital, Prince Court Medical Centre and Sime Darby Medical Centre, as well as one (1) eye care centre, the International Specialist Eye Centre (ISEC), and our Institut Jantung Negara are JCI-accredited. I understand that several more hospitals are on their way to attaining JCI accreditation. At this point in time, we have 14 hospitals that have achieved Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) accreditation. This continuous quality improvement effort is an imperative to compete in the market, as more players recognize the potential of this industry.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

11.    To further promote and develop Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry, the Government has taken the initiative to establish the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), which will be the primary agency to promote and develop healthcare travel. MHTC will work with industry players to formulate strategic plans for the promotion of healthcare travel services, and will coordinate promotional activities for Malaysian healthcare providers and related stakeholders. The establishment of this Council is a testimony of the Government’s commitment to work together with all relevant stakeholders to further develop the healthcare travel industry.

12.    In 2008, about 375,000 healthcare travelers visited our promoted hospitals, bringing in a revenue of RM299 million from this activity. This year, the economic slowdown has somewhat affected our performance. During the first half of 2009, the promoted hospitals recorded 165,095 foreign patients, with revenue of RM142.3 million. Compared to the first half of 2008, there is a reduction of 13% in foreign patients and a 2% reduction in revenue. But in terms of revenue per patient, we see a growth of 12%, from RM769 to RM862 per patient. The challenge from here on is for us to return to positive growth as the global economy improves, and to further increase the revenue per patient figure. This can be achieved by our private hospitals becoming reputable providers of high quality healthcare.

13.    On that note, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome all of you to the launch of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, and once again thank our Prime Minister, Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, for taking the time out to grace this historic occasion. Thank you.