THE state s medical tourism received a shot in the arm with the opening of an International Patient Office (IPO) at a private
hospital here.
In line with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, travel agents can now market medical tourism with the launch of a onestop
service centre catering to foreign patients at KPJ Johor Specialist Hospital.
KPJ executive director and chief executive officer Norita Ahmad said the
hospital hoped the IPO will attract tourists to Malaysia as they seek
medical treatment. "KPJ Johor offers various health packages to cater to
the needs of each patient. Indonesian patients
make up the highest number of foreigners seeking medical treatment here.
They are from the Riau islands such as Batam,Tanjung Balai and
TanjungPinang.
"Most of them come to KPJ Johor for elective medical procedures such as
oncology, cardiology, urology and cosmetic," said Norita, adding that
the number of patients patients from Indonesia has increased to 15,709
or + 7.7 per cent last year compared with 14,105 in the previous year.
In the first five months of the year, the number of foreign patients has
reached 7,600 and is expected to increase further.
Services available in IPO include the management of the patient's
appointment with the clinic for health screening, assistance in
reservations for hotel accommodation, transport, holiday packages and
foreign currency exchange.
Johor tourism, domestic trade and consumerism committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong was the guest' of honour at the launch.
Tee said the cooperation from thehotels in Johor Baru will increase the
income of KPJ Johor and the tourism industry in Johor as a whole.
"KPJ Johor is the first private hospital in the state to be accredited
by Joint Commission International (JCI) from the US in March.
"This has added a feather in its cap. It will ensure the quality of
clinical standards and promote medical tourism by attracting more
international patients to seek treatment at the hospital," he said.
Tee added that the state expects the arrival of 4.6 million domestic and international tourists in Johor.
On a separate matter, Tee also distributed goodies to taxi drivers as
tokens of appreciation for their services. He was assisted by Norita and
Republic of Indonesia consulate general Taufiqur Rijal.
"Taxis are essential in Johor Baru. I hope the drivers will present a
positive image to the foreign tourists who use their service. He added
cleanliness was also important for tourists to feel comfortable and the
taxi drivers needed to take the initiative to gain knowledge of places
of interest in Johor to enhance their service by giving helpful
suggestions to their foreign passengers.
|
Copyright © KPJ Healthcare Berhad. All Rights Reserved.