![]() PORT DICKSON: Advertising guidelines for the healthcare sector will be further liberalised in order to promote medical tourism in this country, and to ensure that the targets set for the sector under the National Key Economic Areas will be achieved, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said yesterday.
He said the guidelines also will help the country compete with its neighbours to become one of the healthcare hubs in the region.
“Health practitioners appealed to the government for a review as they are losing out to others in attracting medical tourists.
“Although doctors and hospitals are now allowed to advertise their services, there are certain limitations. We will review this and see how it will further boost the health industry,†he said to reporters after opening the Chief Executive Officers Summit for Malaysian Healthcare Travel, here. The review of the guidelines was also timely, Liow said, as many healthcare services offered in Malaysia are already world-class standard.
He said Malaysia’s share of the healthcare pie is still very small compared to Singapore and Thailand, which have shown stronger growth every year.
With the right strategies and concerted efforts, he said, healthcare tourism in this country can go further and have the potential to capture a greater share of the market.
“We have a lot more advantages compared to our neighbours, and we ought to get a bigger share of the healthcare travel global market. To me, it all boils down to the commitment of industry players, and whether you have the passion to make the best out of it,†he said.
In the first nine months of this year some 350,000 foreigners – the majority from Indonesia – sought treatment in this country and spent some RM380 million in the process, he said.
The government is targeting a revenue of some RM430 million from healthcare travel this year, up by 22 per cent from last year, he said. — Bernama
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