KPJ Healthcare Berhad

KPJ Healthcare looking for suitable sites to expand in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: KPJ Healthcare.Berhad is looking for other suitable sites to expand its healthcare/medical services in
Sabah.

However, the realisation of this objective will also be dependent on whether they will be able to get sufficient doctors and specialists for the facility, said its vice president (I) business development services, Haji Abdol Wahab Baba, during a press conference held at the KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital yesterday.

He added th&t they hoped to discuss (With the relevant authority) how they can bring specialists from outside to serve in Sabah, citing that the requirement set as very stringent and that they would need to work with the authority concerned to make it friendly.

"(Foreign) Doctors are subject to various requirements," he added.

At the same time, efforts are also being made to bring back Sabahan/Malaysian specialists now serving abroad to come and
work in Sabah, he said.

"We manage to bring some back.it was very challenging the pulling factor must be good," he said.

Abdol also said that Sabah has a huge potential for medical tourism because of the available direct flights that link it to several
international destinations. In addition to that, the State also has other attractions such as its ecotourism and destinations such as the iconic Mt Kinabalu, he said.

He mentioned that they would like to engage with hotels in Sabah so that they can come up with packages with them. Additionally, they'were also keen to work with the Tourism Board to promote healthcare, he said.

He cited that Sabah's attraction as a destination for medical/health tourism can also be attributed to the lower medical fees incurred
by patients who sought treatment here compared to destinations such as Singapore. Presently, nearly over 10 percent of their clientele comprised foreigners, he said.

Meanwhile, senior general manager (group business operation) Mah Lai Heng, said that they have corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes in place in their effort to give back to society, and added that they will start their Wakaf Clinic in Sabah next year to reach out to the interior folks. - Borneo Post