Malaysia aims RM800 million in direct revenue from health tourism next year

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is targeting direct revenue of RM800 million next year and RM1.7 billion in 2025 from the country's health-tourism sector through initiatives outlined under the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021-2025.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said the five -year plan aimed, among others, to enhance the healthcare tourism ecosystem, as well as efforts to rehabilitate and redevelop the industry.

"For the period 2020 until now, the health tourism sector recorded significant losses due to COVID-19 with the closure of international border, recording a drop in direct revenue of RM2.2 billion," he said during the question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN-Parit) on the total losses incurred by the country's health tourism sector during the pandemic and the efforts by the Health Ministry (MOH) to help revive the health tourism sector.

Dr Noor Azmi said among efforts made by the ministry to revive the sector were conducting digital promotion and strategic branding through Malaysia World's Healthcare Marvel campaign, branding Malaysia as a treatment destination for the 'Cardiology and Fertility Hub of Asia' and the 'Malaysia Cancer Care Center of Excellence' programmes.

Apart from that, he said a digital framework of the health tourism industry was also drawn up in an effort to enhance and improve the experience of health tourists while receiving their treatment in the country.

He said Malaysia was the focus of health tourism destination, especially in the Asia Pacific region because of its excellent healthcare infrastructure, well trained medical staff and security aspect.

-- BERNAMA