Contemporary Health Tourism in Muslim-Majority Jurisdictions: Best Practices and Innovations

Abstract

Malaysia is well known as a popular tourist destination for its natural, cultural and historical destinations and is also recognised as a fledgling hub for medical tourism. Malaysia has built a strong reputation as a safe and trusted global destination for healthcare over the past 10 years, with visitors from across the world coming for a range of treatments. This industry will continue to focus on treatment services such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), cardiology, oncology, orthopaedic, neurology, dental, aesthetics and general health screening, while unleashing the full potential of the industry, covering the areas of preventive treatments and healthcare. The government has taken numerous steps to make Malaysia a reputable choice for medical travellers.  For instance, the inception of the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) in 2005. The MHTC is an agency under the Ministry of Health (MoH) tasked to “facilitate and promote the healthcare travel industry of Malaysia by coordinating industry collaborations and building valuable public-private partnerships, at home and abroad.” Through their efforts and initiatives, Malaysia seeks to establish itself as a leading medical destination for medical travellers from all over the world. The country’s efforts were even recognised numerous times, including its win of the “Health and Medical Tourism: Destination of the Year” title at the 2020 International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) Medical Travel Awards. This study will elaborate on the factors influencing the growth of healthcare tourism in Malaysia as well as best practices of said industry. This study focuses on the present market scenario and also the Malaysia Blueprint of Healthcare Tourism Industry 2021-2025.