Materia Medica Malaysiana

RI favors Malaysian hospitals

Indonesians are increasingly looking to Malaysia for medical treatment.
Malaysian deputy tourism minister Achmad Zahid Hamidi said on Friday that, last year, Indonesians visiting Malaysia for medical purposes reached 126,000 out of 174,000 foreigners receiving medical treatment in the country.
The 126,000 Indonesians were among 789,000 Indonesians to visit Malaysia that year, said Hamidi, saying Indonesian visitors had generated 1.125 million ringgit in revenue for the Malaysian government or Rp 2.2 trillion.
"Patients stay in hospital for 12 days on average," said Hamidi, while promoting Malaysian hospital in the West Java capital of Bandung.
Hamid said the Indonesian patients spent 1,500 ringgit a day each on average. The Malaysian hospitals obtained Rp 600 billion from the patients or some 252 million ringgit.
He said there are 25 hospitals in Malaysia that are certified to receive foreign patients, including in Penang, Selangor and Johor.
"They have been approved by the International Organization for Standardization, and their quality is controlled by the Malaysian government," said Roslan Othman, the director of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board.
Fertility, skin care, slimming and cardiology clinics are especially popular, while other patients just want a general checkup, said Selangor State Minister for Tourism, Health and Consumer Affair Lim Thuang Seng.
"One patient usually travels with two or three others ... they also visit tourist spots and shop," said Lim.
Hamidi said the success rate in Malaysian hospitals was 54 percent.