Materia Medica Malaysiana

IJN seeks to attract more foreign patients

Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) plans to expand its role in medical tourism by attracting more than the average of 2,300 foreigners who come to it annually for a variety of procedures.
Its chief executive officer, Mohd Radzif Mohd Yunus (picture), said a concerted effort would be made over the next few years to attract foreigners to the comprehensive facilities and treatment at the hospital.
"We want to go into medical tourism (in a bigger way). We want to raise the number of foreign patients from three to five per cent of our total patient load."
He said IJN wanted to support the Government's proposal to woo foreigners to Malaysia for medical treatment.
"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants to see an increase in medical tourism. The market is huge and we can tap it."
He said Thailand had made substantial gains in the field.
Radzif said most foreigners came to know of IJN through "word of mouth". Some foreign patients came to know of IJN through foreign doctors who had been on attachment as fellows at the hospital.
Nearly 80 per cent of patients are government servants. The majority of the rest are private Malaysian patients.