KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 — The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) today called for global partnerships to resuscitate the health care tourism industry in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
MHTC launched its fifth annual medical travel market intelligence conference (insigHT2020) virtually today. The event brought together 700 participants from 32 countries, including medical experts, travel agencies, technology and healthcare service providers, and government stakeholders.
“With the industry landscape evolving rapidly, our combined knowledge and insights will play a vital role to fast track the healthcare travel industry towards recovery,” said Sherene Azli, chief executive officer of MHTC, at the virtual launch.
“In Malaysia, we have seen how collaboration between various sectors can lead to fruitful results during the peak of the pandemic when both public and private sectors worked hand-in-hand toward a unified goal of public safety. With insigHT2020, we wanted to replicate that model of active partnerships at the global level, with Malaysia leading that conversation.
“In preparation for the international borders to fully reopen, both the health care and travel industry players are in preparation to ensure the best in health care and seamless patient experiences are provided.
“Fostering stronger collaborations between industries and stakeholders will be crucial to achieve excellence in this area, and help regenerate the health care travel industry,” Sherene added.
Health Minister Dr Adham Baba, who launched Malaysia as the cardiology hub of Asia in this conference, stated that collaborative efforts are the key to bring greater changes in the health care system in Malaysia, particularly digitalisation in health care and prioritise more data-driven decisions.
“With the pandemic still posing threats to face-to-face encounters, initiatives such as teleconsultations and e-pharmacies will begin to take precedence in the health care system,” Dr Adham said in his keynote speech at the launch of insigHT2020.
“The Malaysia Health Data Warehouse, or MyHDW initiative, will be a driving force to increase accuracy and precision in our decision-making processes. We also foresee a future where public-private partnerships will play a much bigger role in servicing the Malaysian public.
Dr Adham also highlighted the importance of strengthening public-private partnerships to build a more patient-centric approach to the health care system and to deliver quality services to all.
At the same time, Dr Adham also pointed out the allocation of RM35 million in Budget 2021 for the medical tourism industry.
“We see MHTC playing a significant role in bridging both public and private sectors for better industry outcomes. I hope to see more engagements to position Malaysia as the leading global healthcare destination,” Dr Adham added.
Dr Adham said that Malaysia’s firm commitment for quality to provide the best in clinical and service excellence has gained the trust of patients and pushed Malaysia to be the cardiology hub in the Asia region.
“Known as the Heartbeat of Asia, Malaysia offers a prime combination of expertise, technology, and knowledge. We have an exemplary track record of achieving many ‘firsts’ in the region, invested into adopting a wide array of state-of-the-art technology and is home to many renowned medical experts. With all these three strengths, Malaysia has kept hearts beating across Asia and beyond, upholding our reputation as the World’s Healthcare Marvel.”
