Malaysia: The Perfect Prescription

With vacations overseas comprised mainly of sun and sand there is now a third option. Thousands of vacationers are adding surgery to their vacations. Whether it is cosmetic surgery, dental treatment, or more serious procedures such as joint replacements or heart surgery, countries such as India, Thailand, Singapore are promoting their countries as the preferred destination to combine a holiday with medical treatment.

However, one country that is standing out as the new emerging leader in Medical/Health Tourism is Malaysia. A multi-cultural country located between Thailand and Singapore, Malaysia has long captivated visitors as an attractive, exciting and friendly destination for holidays. Now this country of alluring tropical islands, golden sandy beaches, charming hill resorts, magnificent rainforests and spectacular diving havens is fast gaining a reputation as the preferred destination for overseas travelers seeking Health and Medical Tourism.

Why is Malaysia becoming a preferred destination? Affordability, immediate treatment, combined with private medical centers offering a range of state-of-the-art health and medical services makes Malaysia a popular choice these days.

Quality of services is high, with private hospitals in Malaysia drawing on two essential resources – staff and facilities – to deliver top-level healthcare. Internationally recognized accreditation such as ISO certification is another reason why patients, both local and foreign, have placed their confidence in Malaysian hospitals.

The private hospitals in Malaysia are proud of the fact the over 90% of their doctors receive post-graduate training overseas in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Canada. Although Doctors are paid less than what they could earn in Western Countries, they return home because they are happy to live in their homeland, with its agreeable climate, working in ultra-modern hospitals equipped with the latest in medical equipment and enjoying a lower cost of living than in the West. In addition, Malaysia offers incentives to attract the Doctors back home.

Another important reason to choose Malaysia when it comes to healthcare is the ease of communication, with English spoken by all hospital staff. Staff-patient ratio in some hospitals in as high as 1-3 and in ICU or CCU 1-1.

How much does treatment cost? Here are some sample prices: Hip Replacement $5000, Knee Replacement $4,700, Full Facelift $3,500, Root Canals $250. Payments are made in local Malaysian currency and with the favorable exchange rates today you dollar will go much further and allow you to enjoy convalescence in a beautiful resort area.

The two major treatment centres are Kula Lumpur, the countries capital and Penang, an island resort on the west coast of Malaysia. Major hospitals in KL include Pantai Medical Centre. Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre and Apollo Medical Centre. In Penang you will find the Penang Adventist Hospital, which is managed by Americans and Lam Wah Ee Hospital. All these hospitals specialize in treatment foreign patients.

A trip also to any one of Malaysia’s resorts would be sufficient therapy in and of itself. Some of Malaysia’s tourist attractions, such as Sabah’s Poring Hot Springs are renowned precisely for their health-enhancing features. Others, like the hotels, spas and resorts of Langkawi, Pangkor, Tioman and Redang are of such high standards of luxury and locale that a trip to any one of them would be sufficient therapy in and of itself.

While a medical crisis can have a sudden and negative impact on a person’s life, it is equally true that a convalescence can often give rise to positive life-changing situations. Malaysia provides the perfect setting for a meaningful convalescence, filled with all sorts of possibilities.

For further information on Medical/Health Tourism in Malaysia contact Tourism Malaysia, www.malaysiatourism.ca or www.healthtourism.ca