| James Kon |
A TOTAL of 1,356 Bruneians received medical treatment in Malaysia last year, a near two-fold increase compared to 2011 when only 701 individuals availed healthcare services in the neighbouring country.
Over the years, the Malaysia healthcare sector has seen encouraging numbers from Brunei. The cultural and religious similarities with the Sultanate make Malaysia a prime destination to seek healthcare services.
To further create awareness on its services and strengthen its presence in Brunei, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), better known as Malaysia Healthcare, with the support of Tourism Malaysia in Brunei yesterday held a briefing for local travel agents and industry stakeholders at The Rizqun International Hotel.
Also present at the event were Tourism Malaysia Director in Brunei Haji Ibrahim Seddiqi bin Talib and representatives from the Malaysian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam.
Malaysia Healthcare Marketing Head Yazmin Azman highlighted in her presentation the significance of the Brunei market to Malaysia Healthcare, adding that MHTC is looking to strengthen cooperation with relevant stakeholders in Brunei.
“Malaysia and Brunei have had strong diplomatic ties and established much fruitful collaboration across multiple industries and now we are exploring potential partnerships in healthcare. With all that Malaysia Healthcare can offer, especially in terms of quality and price, we are confident that more can be done to attract Bruneians for treatment in Malaysia.
“Malaysia Healthcare is keen to foster active partnerships with hospitals in Brunei for patient referrals to Malaysia as well as to identify potential partners and distribution channels for healthcare travel packages,” she noted.
Tourism Malaysia Director in Brunei Haji Ibrahim Seddiqi bin Talib and a representative from the Malaysian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam at the briefing. – PHOTOS: JAMES KON
Malaysia Healthcare Marketing Head Yazmin Azman delivers her presentation
Touching on recent achievements, she said that Malaysia Healthcare has gone from strength to strength in the last few years. Malaysia was named Medical Travel Destination of the Year at the International Medical Travel Journal Medical Travel Award 2015 and 2016 as well as Best Country in the World for Healthcare by International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index from 2015 to 2017, she pointed out.
According to her, another reason to look at Malaysia as a good destination for medical treatment is that the country’s healthcare professionals are highly qualified and have received medical training from well-known institutions in Malaysia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Europe.
Malaysia also enacts stringent regulations and standards for safety and quality healthcare set by its Ministry of Health (MoH) that are benchmarked against the highest standards in the world.
Malaysia Healthcare recently unveiled a ‘Share My Love’ campaign as a continuation of the ‘Malaysia Loves You’ campaign launched last year.
Share My Love carries the message of love, unity and kindness and invites all to come and experience Malaysia’s excellent healthcare and indulge in the famed Malaysian hospitality.
“This concept encompasses the essence of Malaysia’s healthcare which provides great care, compassion and warmth at the same time and it is this very love and welcoming spirit that we hope to convey to all who come to our shores,” Yazmin explained.
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