BANDAR SRI BEGAWAN, 7APRIL – The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) or better known as Malaysia Healthcare, expands its reach into Brunei in a bid to strengthen its presence in the country as the leading healthcare travel destination in the region.
Malaysia Healthcare has moved from strength to strength in the last few years. The country was named “Medical Travel Destination of the Year” at the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) Medical Travel Awards 2015 and 2016, and “Best Country in the World for Healthcare” by International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index from 2015 to 2017.
Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry continues to grow year by year due to the world-class quality, accessibility and affordability of the country’s healthcare. This, coupled with the seamless, end-to-end patient service provided, offers peace of mind to healthcare travellers. In 2016, the industry grew by 25%, raking in an estimated RM1.15 billion in hospital revenues.
Additionally, healthcare professionals in Malaysia are highly qualified, receiving medical training from renowned institutions in Malaysia, the UK, USA, Australia and Europe. Malaysia also enacts stringent regulations and standards for safety and quality healthcare set by its Ministry of Health (MOH), benchmarked against the highest standards in the world.
Representing Malaysia Healthcare, Ms. Yazmin Azman, Head of Marketing says, “Malaysia Healthcare has all the right qualities for achieving greater heights in international healthcare travel: excellent quality in healthcare services, accessibility and affordability. Matched with strong government backing and commitment from the private healthcare sector, Malaysia has everything it takes to achieve our ambition of being the leading global healthcare destination. We will press on in our efforts to sustain Malaysia as a global force to be reckoned with.”
With the support of Tourism Malaysia in Brunei, MHTC organised a briefing session at the Rizqun International Hotel for industry stakeholders as well as outbound travel agents to establish strategic relationships and promote Malaysia Healthcare to its citizens. The briefing session attended by tour and travel agents, airlines representatives, and members of the media, aims to educate Bruneians about Malaysia Healthcare’s private healthcare facilities and services. Also present were Deputy High Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei, Pn. Rafeah Abdul Aziz and Tourism Malaysia Director in Brunei, Tuan Hj. Ibrahim Seddiqi bin Talib.
As one of Malaysia’s closest neighbours, over the years, Malaysia Healthcare has seen encouraging numbers from Brunei. To top it off, the cultural and religious similarities between the two nations make Malaysia a prime destination for Bruneians to consider for healthcare.
“Malaysia and Brunei have had strong diplomatic ties and have established many fruitful collaborations across multiple industries, and now we are exploring potential partnerships in healthcare. With all that Malaysia Healthcare can offer, especially in terms of quality and price, we are confident that more can be done to attract Bruneians for treatment in Malaysia,” added Yazmin.
Malaysia Healthcare is also keen to foster active partnerships with hospitals in Brunei for patient referrals to Malaysia, as well as identify potential partners and distribution channels for healthcare travel packages. The people of Brunei share many similarities with Malaysia in terms of its religion and food thus providing a natural environment for Brunei patients seeking treatment in Malaysia.
To further position Malaysia as the leading healthcare travel destination, Malaysia Healthcare recently launched the “Share My Love” campaign spreading awareness about coming to the country to experience Malaysia Healthcare and to embrace the Malaysian hospitality.
Malaysia Healthcare recently unveiled “Share My Love”, a continuation of the “Malaysia Loves You” campaign, launched last year. “Share My Love” carries a message of love, unity and kindness, inviting all to come and experience Malaysia’s excellent healthcare and indulge in our famed Malaysian hospitality. “This concept encompasses the essence of Malaysia’s healthcare, which provides great care, compassion and warmth at the same time. It is this very love and welcoming spirit that we hope to convey to all who come to our shores”, added Yazmin.
#sharemylove aims to highlight Malaysia’s most unique qualities as a healthcare travel destination of choice. More details can be obtained at www.mylovesyou.com.