PHNOM PENH: The Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) held a conference at the Hyatt Regency on July 7 to build partnerships with Cambodian businesses in an effort to enhance the experiences of Cambodians seeking healthcare abroad, and to promote Malaysia as a premier healthcare tourism destination. Leading the ceremony was MHTC CEO Farizal Jaafar, who made a strong case for Malaysia’s seamless end-to-end healthcare ecosystem, which ensures comprehensive care for patients from pre-arrival to post-treatment. He emphasized, “Patient centricity sits at the very heart of what we do.”

The MoU ceremony was opened by Malaysian Ambassador to Cambodia, Datuk Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim, where the MHTC strengthened relationships with Cambodian hospitals, travel agencies, banks and insurance providers to further develop its already thriving healthcare tourism industry. The MHTC has a vision to provide not only healthcare, but a combined tourist experience where patients can enjoy some of the best sights, sounds and tastes Malaysia has to offer during their trip. To this end, Malaysian healthcare providers signed MoUs with travel agents like Star Asia, Mekong Discovery and Great Angkor Tours. They also partnered with Maybank to offer discounts at Malaysian hospitals and with Cambodian hospitals to develop their referral program.

Farizal Jaafar said that while Southeast Asian nations are in collaboration to create world-class healthcare across the region, Malaysia stands out as a provider based on its world-class quality, affordability and excellent record of clinical outcomes. Malaysia’s healthcare facilities are strictly regulated and based on international standards, while its government employs cost control measures which prevent exorbitant costs. “Malaysia’s healthcare system is one of the most highly regulated in the world,” said Farizal. “Our medical professionals are all expertly trained. Many of our hospitals are also internationally accredited.”

One of the MHTC’s major partners is KPJ Healthcare, the largest healthcare provider in Malaysia. With over 42 years of experience, their hospitals have treated over 530,000 international patients. Its current model is as a one-stop shop for healthcare tourists where they can book hotels and airport transfers, make arrangements for Visa extensions, book city tours and much more. KPJ Executive Chris Gan emphasized the convenience of arranging treatments through KPJ hospitals. He said they provide, “Transportation from our airport directly to our hotel or the hospital. And also we can provide an online teleconsultation, for a second opinion; interpreter services and insurance arrangements. So, it’s a one-stop center for our international patients.” He said that Cambodians can access interpreters to assist in their stay. “We have in-house Cambodian staff, which is able to do all the interpretation. So, it will be much more convenient for the Cambodian patient,” he said.

Another prestigious partner for the MHTC is the Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), which is the leading heart specialist facility in Malaysia. Established in 1992, the institute was the first in Malaysia to successfully perform a heart transplant and its reputation for excellence in cardiac care continues to shine.” IJN has dedicated all its specialists towards cardio treatment. We have over 195 cardiologists on board who look after only one organ, which is the heart,” said IJN Executive Zeenat Aman. She said that once a patient has booked an appointment with IJN, they are assisted through each step from booking flights and accommodation, to providing interpreters in Khmer, English, and even Mandarin.

Malaysia was listed as the “Best Country for Healthcare” and the “Top Asia Country for Retirement” in the 2019 International Living Annual Global Retirement Index. The industry was primed to expand even further with its “Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel 2020” initiative launched in late-2019. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic put a hold on those plans, but Farizal says they were able to sustain the industry with a “medical travel bubble” that allowed for smaller-scale healthcare travel.

With the industry back on track, Farizal is confident about Malaysia’s ability to provide something special to those wanting to seek healthcare abroad. “It’s about the patient’s journey,” he said. “We are very keen on exploring more immersive opportunities beyond the treatments. So that means they are able to come for leisure thereafter; for wellness after that.”