Materia Medica Malaysiana

Move to boost health tourism

KUALA LUMPUR: Benchmarking Universiti Malaya’s Medical Faculty and other hospitals in Malaysia with international bodies is important to boost health tourism in the country.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said that in line with the government’s quest for new sources of income, health tourism was one avenue that could earn the country as much as RM2bil by 2010.

“There is a need for a concerted effort by university hospitals and private hospitals to raise their services to international standards so that more foreigners will come here for operations and hospital care.

“When patients want to come to Malaysia, they always refer to credible doctors who use benchmarking as their criteria.

“It is therefore important that we come up with a benchmark that is recognised internationally.

“There are about 33 hospitals that can cater to international medical needs,” he told reporters after launching the Parasites: South-East Asian Diagnostic (Para: SEAD) laboratory here yesterday.

Dr Chua said he has directed ministry officials to work with the private sector to make Malaysia a leading health tourism destination.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Hashim Yaacob said the university was committed to earning an international benchmark so that the graduates and its services were recognised worldwide.

“We are seeking recognition from Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and a special committee has been set up for this task.”

The British General Medical Council withdrew recognition of Universiti Malaya in 1988.

The Medical Faculty’s dean, Prof Datuk Mohd Amin Jalaludin, said the university would aim to benchmark itself with Australian and New Zealand medical authorities.

“We are studying these countries’ overall methodologies and procedures ... how they will benchmark us. During their visit to the faculty this month, they will give us an overview of how they will do it.

“We have also invited the Irish Medical Council University for the same purpose,” he added.