Malaysia a hot destination as medical tourism gains in popularity
Print Edition
MEDICAL tourism continues to gain ground, especially among the middle-aged and seniors as well as couples seeking help in fertility treatment in China.
“Patients Beyond Borders,” a guide to medical tourism, estimates that the worldwide medical tourism market is growing at a rate of 15 to 25 percent a year, with the quickest growth in North, Southeast and South Asia.
It said the total market for medical tourism has reached US$38.5 billion to US$55 billion, based on approximately 11 million cross-border patients worldwide spending an average of US$3,500 to US$5,000 per visit. The cost figures includes all medical costs, cross-border and local transport, inpatient stay and accommodations.
Many Southeast Asian countries are working out strategies to lure more Chinese for health-care trips. Malaysia has become a key destination for its high-quality medical services, world-class treatment, competitive medical treatment charges and rich tourism resources.
Last year, Malaysia received more than 22,000 Chinese medical tourists compared with about 8,000 in 2010, when the industry just started in the country, according to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).
China has risen to become the No. 4 source of medical tourists for Malaysia, following Indonesia, India and Japan, MHTC said. Cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, oncology, infertility, orthopedics and plastic surgery are some of the popular services among Chinese visitors.
The strong bilateral trade relationship between Malaysia and China and economic development have the industry in Malaysia. At the same time, the health-care travel industry has contributed to the development of other industries such as hotels, catering, transportation and insurance, said Max Wong Wai Khuen, MHTC’s regional director for East Asia.
Many Chinese tourists are flying to Malaysia and staying for two or three days to have no-blade cataract surgery. Traditional cataract surgery usually takes more than a week, but thanks to the new no-blade technology, the period is shortened to one day. Many Chinese tourists choose to spend another day or two sightseeing and enjoying local delicacies in Malaysia after the surgery, Wong said.
Some Chinese couples go to Malaysia to have fertility treatment, such as test-tube baby, or in vitro fertilization. More Chinese women are having their ovum frozen in Malaysian hospitals if they want to have a baby later.
Most doctors in Malaysia are educated in the West and they bring advanced courses of treatment from overseas, and many Malaysian doctors can speak Chinese.
Medical fees in Malaysia are cheaper — among the lowest in Southeast Asia — and there is no price difference between overseas tourists and locals. Malaysia has strict regulations to protect medical tourists, and there is a price ceiling for different courses of treatment.
“There is a trend that Malaysia receives many medical travelers in their 40s now, while in the past, most were seniors,” Wong said.
The major destinations for medical tourists in Malaysia are the island of Penang, Malacca and Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur.
Travel agencies in China are also tapping the health-care tourism market. Online travel operator Ctrip has launched seven traditional Chinese medicine itineraries, attracting more than 4,000 tourists since being launched in June.
The tour packages, priced from 129 yuan (US$20.80) to 2,699 yuan and lasting from one day to five days, involve medicated baths, herbal cuisines and tai chi courses in Beijing in addition to traditional sightseeing tours.
Most tourists are from big cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Fujian Province, and more than 60 percent are youngsters with their parents, Ctrip said.
“I want to treat my parents with a healthy and relaxing tour, as I am busy and don’t have enough time to accompany them in normal days,” said an IT worker surnamed Wang.
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