Medical tourism hale and hearty
Medical tourism raked in an estimated RM230mil in revenue for Penang last year.
State Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman Danny Law said this was an increase from RM162mil in 2009.
He said the number of foreign patients who sought medical treatment in Penang increased from 202,000 in 2009 to 250,000 last year, adding that most of them were from Indonesia.
“This is due to the new air route introduced by AirAsia from Surabaya to Penang which has brought in new patients from Surabaya,” he told a press conference yesterday.
Law said 70% of revenue from medical tourism in the country was contributed by hospitals in Penang.
“This was mainly possible because of the co-operation between the seven hospitals which practise healthy competition and even work together during promotions overseas,” he added.
He said medical tourism had spurred the growth of related sectors such as taxi services, hotels and the food industry.
Law also said domestic and international tourist arrivals to Penang increased to 4.1 million last year from 3.3 million in 2009.
He said Indonesians topped the list of tourist arrivals to Penang last year followed by Singaporeans, Chinese nationals, Japanese and Americans.
-News courtesy of The Star-
Showing posts with label Health Tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health Tourism. Show all posts
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Sunday, 15 August 2010
United to draw medical tourists
United to draw medical tourists
SEVEN of Penang’s biggest private hospitals have banded together to establish the Penang Health Association — a platform to collectively promote the state as a medical haven for visitors.
In a launching ceremony at the beginning of the month, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Island Hospital, LohGuanLye Specialist Centre, Mount Miriam Hospital, Pantai Hospital Penang and Penang Adventist Hospital partnered to boost the image of Penang health care.
“The idea for this partnership between hospitals came about four years ago.
“We realised that if we continued to only promote ourselves separately, it would be counter-productive and confuse visitors seeking medical care,” said association chairman Datuk Dr Chan Kok Ewe.
“For the sake of the medical industry in Penang, we have to work together.”
Dr Chan explained that the partnership of the seven hospitals made it possible to attract patients to a single destination – Penang – rather than to individual hospitals.
“With a common folder and a universal exhibition booth giving the information and services of all the hospitals, patients will have their own choice of treatment possibilities,” he said.
He added that although the partnership had only been announced to the public this month, its collective efforts over the last few years were already beginning to bear fruit.
“In 2009, Penang attracted 202,000 foreign visitors despite the global recession.
“2010 has also seen a marked increase with the figure expected to reach 250,000 and with this partnership, we expect these figures to continue to grow,” Dr Chan said.
-News courtesy of The Star-
SEVEN of Penang’s biggest private hospitals have banded together to establish the Penang Health Association — a platform to collectively promote the state as a medical haven for visitors.
In a launching ceremony at the beginning of the month, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Island Hospital, LohGuanLye Specialist Centre, Mount Miriam Hospital, Pantai Hospital Penang and Penang Adventist Hospital partnered to boost the image of Penang health care.
“The idea for this partnership between hospitals came about four years ago.
“We realised that if we continued to only promote ourselves separately, it would be counter-productive and confuse visitors seeking medical care,” said association chairman Datuk Dr Chan Kok Ewe.
“For the sake of the medical industry in Penang, we have to work together.”
Dr Chan explained that the partnership of the seven hospitals made it possible to attract patients to a single destination – Penang – rather than to individual hospitals.
“With a common folder and a universal exhibition booth giving the information and services of all the hospitals, patients will have their own choice of treatment possibilities,” he said.
He added that although the partnership had only been announced to the public this month, its collective efforts over the last few years were already beginning to bear fruit.
“In 2009, Penang attracted 202,000 foreign visitors despite the global recession.
“2010 has also seen a marked increase with the figure expected to reach 250,000 and with this partnership, we expect these figures to continue to grow,” Dr Chan said.
-News courtesy of The Star-
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