2017 Asia Pacific Healthcare & Medical Tourism Awards
BALI, INDONESIA, 19 MAY – Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) was proclaimed “Medical Travel Organisation of the Year” at the 2017 Asia Pacific Healthcare & Medical Tourism Awards, in Bali today. Fresh off the agency’s recent win as “Medical Tourism Cluster of the Year Award” at the International Medical Travel Journal Awards 2017 (IMTJ), this achievement further cements MHTC’s reputation as a coordinating agency in its bid to promote Malaysia as a leading global destination for healthcare. Malaysia was also named “Medical Travel Destination of the Year” for the third consecutive year at the same IMTJ Awards.
For this award, the judges looked for organisations that have maintained consistently high standards in delivering quality care and pushed the boundaries of providing for their customers at every stage and in every interaction. These organisations are then further evaluated through in-depth interviews to understand their current market position, future growth plans, achievements and company performance, after which they are ranked accordingly.
The judging process is based on a four-tiered stage: Global Health and Travel’s (GHT) healthcare knowledge, AB Bernstein’s market research, evaluation by a panel of industry experts, and consumer survey. This methodology serves as an effective tool to benchmark the award nominees against industry standards and peers.
Malaysia Healthcare’s member hospitals also received several awards during the event. These are:
Malaysia Healthcare Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Sherene Azli says, “This award came as a pleasant surprise, especially so close after our momentous win at the International Medical Travel Journal Awards in Croatia last month. We are grateful that Malaysia is increasingly gaining acceptance as the destination for affordable, world-class healthcare and MHTC, as an agency fully supported by the government under the Ministry of Health Malaysia has also received recognition.”
The award is a further testament to the agency’s success at building bridges within international healthcare travel, adding to its long list of accolades, which includes “Best Country in the World for Healthcare” by International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index 2015 – 2017 and “Public Private Partnership Medical Travel Destination of the Year” at the 8th Annual World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress.
Earlier, Sherene participated as a guest speaker at the 2017 Asia Pacific Healthcare & Medical Tourism Conference, which addresses the challenges and future of smart technologies in healthcare and the evolving role of healthcare service providers. Talking on “The Growth of Malaysia Healthcare”, Sherene shared with delegates, Malaysia’s mercurial rise in the healthcare travel sector.
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), is an agency set up in 2009 under the Ministry of Health to facilitate and promote Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry. Commenting on the recent awards won by Malaysia Healthcare, Sherene further added, “Winning the “Health and Medical Tourism: Destination of the Year” for the third year in a row, sets the bar higher for Malaysia to up our game, with our member hospitals as the main drivers, forging ahead to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry. Malaysia already has the right ecosystem and infrastructure in place to provide world-class end-to-end healthcare service, and now we need to take this higher, internationally”.
As part of its efforts to convey the essence of Malaysia Healthcare, the country recently unveiled “Share My Love”, a continuation of the “Malaysia Loves You” campaign, launched in 2016. “Share My Love” carries a message of love, unity and kindness, inviting all to come and experience Malaysia’s excellent healthcare and indulge in its famed Malaysian hospitality. This concept encompasses the essence of Malaysia’s healthcare, which provides great care, compassion and warmth. It is this very love and welcoming spirit that Malaysia Healthcare hopes to convey and invite everyone to its country.
The 2017 Asia Pacific Healthcare and Medical Tourism Awards is a collaboration between GHT and AB Bernstein. It is the premier healthcare gathering in Asia, with delegates comprising C-level executives and senior management. This event celebrates and recognises healthcare providers that have maintained consistently high standards for delivering customer value and demonstrated outstanding performance in terms of initiatives that can improve the way healthcare is delivered through areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development.