Malaysia :A new health destination

With the global healthcare market up for grabs (see 'The Health Travellers, BW 22 December, 2003), countries are beginning to search for niches in which they can operate. And Malaysia, it seems, has found one for itself - to be the healthcare destination for the Muslim world. The Malaysian government is giving a new thrust to a programme that began in 1998 with the setting up of the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). It was part of the 8 Malaysia Plan (8MP) to combine tourism with healthcare. Now, however, the government has decided to focus on the Muslim world. According to the Malaysian minister of health, Dato' Chua Jui Meng, the middle eastern countries and the ASEAN nations will be the focus areas for Malaysian hospitals. Clearly, India, the traditional destination for patients from this region, had better watch out! A moderate and modern Muslim nation, Malaysia offers a culture that would certainly appeal to the sensibilities of the Islamic population. And, Meng is trying to differentiate Malaysia from neighbour Singapore, which is already a major healthcare destination, but is rather expensive. Malaysia, by contrast, offers a value-for-money proposition.Recently, MATRADE took a mission to Brunei. Health tourism brought in RM150 million worth of revenue in 2002 which is expected to reach RM400 million by 2005. The target is RM2.2 billion from this sector by 2010.