PETALING JAYA: A blueprint to enhance and strengthen the current healthcare travel ecosystem was launched on Monday (Nov 1).

       Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) said the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021-2025 has been crafted with the aspiration of providing a healthcare experience that provides the best of medical and service excellence throughout the entire patient journey.

       “This blueprint is unique and future-facing as it aims to further establish Malaysia as a leading travel destination and provide a clear guide to our healthcare value chain and industry,” he said during the virtual launch of the blueprint via Zoom on Monday.

       The launch was also attended by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council chief executive officer Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and Health secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah.

       Khairy said that the blueprint would cover five different approaches and was anchored on three strategic pillars; the healthcare travel ecosystem, the Malaysia healthcare brand and the markets.

       The key strategies outlined in the blueprint include improving the quality of medical care, digitising the patient journey, continuing efforts to be a world-leading destination that provides affordable medical offerings to healthcare travellers and elevating Malaysia’s offerings in hospitality alongside its position as a safe and trusted destination for both medical and leisure.

       Khairy pointed out that more than 1.22 million healthcare travellers chose Malaysia as their destination in 2019, adding that travel healthcare revenue then garnered close to RM1.7bil.

       However, he said the pandemic severely affected this as a decline in revenue to almost RM800mil was seen in 2020.

       “As we transition into endemicity, our key priorities include the maintenance of high-quality care and safety above all else. We need to up the ante by embracing digitalisation of the entire patient journey experience.

       “With this blueprint, Malaysia has begun forging a new frontier to redefine the patient experience through a unified and collaborative approach to digitalisation.

       “This will allow healthcare providers to improve upon service delivery and reinforce our patients’ peace of mind, especially in Malaysia’s niche offerings such as the Fertility and Cardiology Hubs of Asia and the Cancer Care Centre of Excellence.

       “With this blueprint, we aspire to provide the best Malaysian Healthcare Travel Experience by 2025. I believe this is within our grasp,” he said.

       Khairy added that Malaysia is also en route to establishing destination landmarks such as the upcoming Flagship Medical Tourism Hospitals as well as the development of the International Retirement Living programme.

       “Malaysia is preparing its healthcare sector to take on a more robust shape, from the perspective of treatment services, medical expertise, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, showcasing Malaysia’s testament as a trusted and safe country particularly in attracting foreign investments,” he said.

       He also urged for better cross-border healthcare collaboration and encouraged nations to cooperate more efficiently for more sustainable healthcare delivery globally.

       Meanwhile, Mohd Daud said that as the country transitions into the endemic phase, the blueprint would be strategically rolled out over the next five years in two phases.

       “We will now be moving forward with a solid plan for industry recovery. This is important as Malaysia healthcare has been identified as a key economic driver under the export services sector,” he said.