Healthcare Tourism in Malaysia: Where Do I Start?
Over the last decade, Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds to become a medical tourism destination of high renown. Winning multiple international awards in a wide range of medical specialties, Malaysia and its elite private hospitals offer world-class quality healthcare to patients from around the world, with the benefit of competitive affordability and high accessibility.
Understanding Malaysia Healthcare
Malaysia practices a two-tier healthcare system: public healthcare that is government-funded and available to its citizens; and private healthcare, which is open to both Malaysian citizens and healthcare tourists.
Regardless, Malaysia Healthcare is among the most affordable healthcare services in the world that offers unparalleled standards of quality and care. In 2016 alone, almost 1 million health travellers arrived in Malaysia from around the globe, seeking healthcare treatments.
Popular treatments in medical tourism include orthopaedics, ophthalmology, cardiology, IVF, neurology, gastroenterology, oncology, dentistry, cosmetic surgery, and health screening.
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council
To assist health travellers in their healthcare journeys in Malaysia, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), the coordinating agency for the country’s healthcare tourism industry, was established.
MHTC’s offerings include a range of advisory and assistive services through the MHTC Call Centre (Kuala Lumpur), MHTC Representative Offices in Jakarta (Indonesia), Yangon (Myanmar), Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), as well as the MHTC Concierge and Lounges at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Penang International Airport.
Affordable, Awards-Winning Private Healthcare for the World
Health seekers from all over the world are welcome to experience Malaysian healthcare. Thanks to systemic efficiencies and a healthy ratio of doctors to population, waiting times see a specialist of your choice is almost negligible.
Healthcare in Malaysia is kept competitively affordable due to stringent regulations on prices charged for healthcare services and pharmaceutical products by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, to ensure that healthcare remains accessible to everyone who needs it.
But patients flock to Malaysia not only for its affordable healthcare. Malaysian private hospitals are equipped with the latest in medical technology, highly-trained medical professionals and even feature pioneering services in areas such as paediatric cardiology, neurosurgery and medical devices.
Language
A foreigner-friendly and multi-cultural country, travellers will find that many Malaysians speak English, alongside other common Asian languages, such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Bahasa Indonesia, Tamil and Hindi.
The same is reflected in Malaysian healthcare professionals, making direct communication between patients, doctors and hospital staff much easier. Translators can also be easily arranged by hospitals for native speakers of other languages.
Medical Insurance
Check with your medical insurance provider to see if your policy extends to include medical coverage in Malaysia. MHTC partners with a wide range of insurance and credit card providers in Southeast Asia, allowing portability of benefits for policyholders to seek healthcare treatment in Malaysia.
How Do I Make an Appointment?
It is as easy as contacting your hospital of choice from wherever you are, booking an appointment with an international patient care counsellor, then getting on a plane and meeting your doctor for a consultation in just a matter of days.
Better yet, contact the MHTC Call Centre or an MHTC Representative Office near you today for recommendations on specialists and hospitals, advice on visa and immigrations requirements, or any other questions