Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021-2025 launched

He said with the blueprint established by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysia is expected to provide the best healthcare travel experience by 2025.

Khairy added that Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021-2025 aims to enhance the current healthcare travel ecosystem, strengthen the Malaysia healthcare brand and expand the introduction of the country's healthcare offerings to more targeted markets.

Its key strategies include improving the quality of medical care, digitising the patient journey and continuing efforts to be a world-leading destination that provides affordable medical offerings to healthcare travellers.

"With this blueprint, Malaysia has begun forging a new frontier to redefine the patient experience through a unified and collaborative approach to digitalization.

"This will allow healthcare providers to improve upon service delivery and reinforce our patients' peace of mind, especially in Malaysia's niche offerings such as the Fertility and Cardiology Hubs of Asia and the Cancer Care Centre of Excellence," he said in his officiating speech via Zoom and Facebook live.

The launch of the blueprint was witnessed by Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, and MHTC chief executive officer Mohd Daud Mohd Arif.

The blueprint is implemented in two main phases, with the Recovery Phase for 2021-2022 focusing on reinforcing awareness of Malaysia's world-class healthcare quality offerings and enhancing the patient experience through digitalization efforts.

Industry players will also collectively work together to amplify awareness on Malaysian healthcare's niche offerings such as the Fertility Hub of Asia, Cardiology Hub of Asia and Cancer Care Centre of Excellence under the Rebuild Phase for 2023-2025.

Apart from the blueprint, MHTC is also establishing the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme to further strengthen Malaysia's stance as a leading healthcare destination, as well as developing this country as a destination for retirement living.