Johor aims to ride medical tourism wave

It hopes to capitalise on location, build up facilities to compete with Melaka, Penang

In its continuing efforts to position itself as a premier healthcare destination, Malaysia has been stepping up efforts to pull in medical tourists hailing from south-west Africa to neighboring Indonesia, and Johor wants some of that bounty.

For instance, the High Commission of Malaysia in Windhoek, Namibia, hosted a health and tourism expo on Nov 20 to pitch the country as a place for world-class yet affordable medical care.

Johor's proximity to Singapore and Indonesia gives the state an advantage in tapping the medical tourism sector, said Johor's health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon.

"We have two ferry terminals to Indonesia and two land customs, immigration and quarantine complexes connected with Singapore, making Johor a gateway for international patients," he said.

Mr Ling said efforts are under way to diversify medical tourism beyond Johor Bahru.

Batu Pahat, for example, has launched a ferry service to Selat Panjang, Indonesia, to attract patients from that region, he said.

However, he added: "At present, most of our medical tourism activities are concentrated in Johor Bahru, where bed occupancy rates at private hospitals are as high as 95 per cent, leaving little room for medical tourists."