Budget 2025 07 and efforts to enhance public health infrastructure and improve access for underserved communities are driving public sector growth .
November-December . 2024 | The HEALTH
Budget 2025 07 and efforts to enhance public health infrastructure and improve access for underserved communities are driving public sector growth .
Private healthcare providers will continue to attract patients with higher incomes , including medical tourists and domestic patients looking to avoid long waiting times amid Malaysia ’ s shortage of physicians and nurses .
Malaysia ’ s high single-digit expenditure growth will see it outpace regional peers such as Singapore , Thailand , the Philippines and Indonesia over the medium term .
Additionally , annual per capita health expenditure remains above global and emerging market averages , indicating a solid capacity for spending on advanced medical products .
Malaysia will continue developing its healthcare offering to attract medical tourists but will face regional solid competition from Thailand and Singapore .
ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION
Malaysia remains an attractive destination for foreign healthcare patients with its availability of high-quality healthcare facilities equipped with modern medical products alongside cost-effective healthcare .
In February 2024 , KPJ Healthcare , which operates 29 hospitals in Malaysia , announced that two of its hospitals had joined the Mayo Clinic care network .
The collaboration will enhance the healthcare services provided by the hospitals by leveraging Mayo Clinic ’ s knowledge and expertise . It will help to attract patients seeking advanced medical care , supporting demand for healthcare services and medical products .
Hospitals will use digital health
“ Private healthcare providers will continue to attract patients with higher incomes , including medical tourists and domestic patients looking to avoid long waiting times amid Malaysia ’ s shortage of physicians and nurses .”
tools to promote individualised care through Mayo Clinic ’ s point-of-care database , which includes clinical information on medical conditions .
At the same time , physicians will be able to use live video conferences to discuss cases with other doctors in the Mayo Clinic network .
This latest partnership follows one signed between private companies Sunway Healthcare Group , which is based in Malaysia , and PT JCB International Indonesia , a subsidiary of JCB International , in January 2024 to attract medical tourists from Indonesia .
We expect partnerships will remain a feature of Malaysia ’ s efforts to enhance its medical tourism industry as it seeks to stay competitive amid solid regional competition .
Competition is coming from markets such as Thailand and Singapore . Medical tourists from both developed and emerging markets visit Singapore for a range of health services , including health screenings , cardiology and oncology services and orthopaedic procedures .
However , Singapore may increasingly struggle to compete with Malaysia and Thailand in terms of offering affordable costs for specific procedures . It could increasingly target patients seeking more complicated procedures or those from developed markets with higher incomes as a result .
Thailand recently signed a memorandum of understanding ( MoU ) with Saudi Arabia to attract medical tourists .
DEVELOPED MARKETS
At the same time , the Thai government also relaxed medical visas in 2023 to make healthcare more accessible for international patients , reducing the cost of visas and increasing the amount of time patients can remain in the country .
Creating a more inclusive healthcare system through improving system access in rural parts of the country and integrating digital health remains a priority , and measures to this end were announced in Budget 2025 .
Malaysia will continue to address accessibility challenges in rural areas with the government ’ s 2025 budget highlighting investments in health facilities , including expanding hospitals and building new health clinics to increase capacity and reduce overcrowding .
Digital health tools will continue to play a critical role in addressing Malaysia ’ s urban-rural disparities . In May 2024 , broadband provider MEASAT and Malaysia-based health technology company Mudah Healthtech announced an MoU to introduce 2,000 Sihat Xpress telehealth kiosks to rural doctors .
The kiosks will enable doctors to conduct online consultations with patients for non-urgent medical issues , as well as health checks such as body temperature , blood pressure and blood glucose levels .
The government is also aiming for a nationwide rollout of electronic medical records by 2026 in a bid to improve the efficiency of the healthcare system .
Healthcare personnel shortages will continue posing challenges to the healthcare system . Despite Malaysia enhancing its healthcare system , the Malaysian government has yet to meet its target of one doctor to 400 patients , and this will pose the most significant challenge in rural settings .
The country currently has a shortage of physicians and nurses , with the numbers for both below the global median . Malaysia ’ s personnel shortages are most acute in the public sector , and this will lead to increasing collaboration with the private sector to help address the issue .
Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad recently highlighted that collaborations between the public and private sector will be necessary for overcoming staff shortages , and the Minister has recently supported the signing of an MoU for nursing scholarships that will enhance nursing education in Malaysia . – The HEALTH