Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council

Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council

Formation	2005
Type	Government-Linked, Non-Profit
Headquarters	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Key people	YB Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, Joint Chairman YB Mohd Rafizi Ramli, Joint Chairman YBhg. Datuk Dr. Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, Director YBrs. En. Ahmad Shahizam Mohd Shariff, Independent Director YBrs. Pn. Eunice Chan, Independent Director YBhg. Datuk Dr. Kuljit Singh, Independent Director
Parent organization	Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH)
Website	https://www.malaysiahealthcare.org, www.mhtc.org.my

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) was established by the Malaysian Ministry of Health in 2005. MHTC is responsible in advocating for the medical tourism industry in Malaysia.[1] In 2011, MHTC was incorporated as an independent entity to coordinate Malaysia's healthcare travel sector.

History

In 2003, a small unit under the Corporate Division of the Ministry of Health was established, which includes experts knowledgeable in healthcare to advise and guide the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (“MITI”) and MATRADE representatives in showcasing Malaysia's healthcare travel industry. This unit grew into the “Health Services” unit under the Corporate Services Division, forming a microcosm of what is known as MHTC today.

MHTC was incorporated under the National Key Economic Area (“NKEA”) in 2011,[2] with an aim to enable the agency to fulfil its role as the promoting and facilitating arm of the Ministry of Health.

In 2018, due to the change in the government, MHTC was shifted under the purview of the Ministry of Finance.[3]

The Global Market Report 2018 placed Malaysia as the world's top healthcare travel destination by volume.[4] In 2019, Malaysia welcomed over 1.2 million medical tourists. Over the past decade, some of the top countries of arrival are Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom and United States of America.[1][5][6][7]

The top treatments sought by healthcare travellers over the past decade are Cardiology, Fertility, Oncology, Orthopaedics, Neurology, Premium Health Screening and Dental.^[citation needed] A 2020 study ranked the country in the top 10 wellness destinations.[8]

In 2024, the council experienced an outflow of staff due to what news reports called a lack of "clear direction" and a "toxic working environment."[1]

See also

See also: Medical tourism in Malaysia

References

1. Lee, Pearl (29 February 2024). "Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council in 'serious' condition with massive resignations, 'lack of direction'". Twenty-Two 13. Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
2. "TENTH MALAYSIA PLAN 2011-2015" (PDF).
3. Ayman (2019-10-17). "Malaysia focuses on medical tourism for Kingdom's future". CapitalCambodia. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
4. "MALAYSIA, THE WORLD'S HEALTHCARE MARVEL". Islamic Tourism Centre of Malaysia | ITC. 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
5. "Malaysia: An Emerging Global Giant in Medical Tourism". www.magazine.medicaltourism.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
6. "Putting the spotlight on orthopaedic conditions". New Straits Times. 10 April 2022.
7. Mulyanto, Randy (19 November 2023). "Malaysia's Penang hopes to hook Chinese medical tourists with healing holidays". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
8. Jamin, Aziean; Rahmafitria, Fitri; Nurazizah, Ghoitsa Rohmah (December 30, 2020). "Rebuilding Health Tourism Destination Image After Covid-19: The Case Of Malaysia And Indonesia". 2020 IEEE 8th R10 Humanitarian Technology Conference (R10-HTC). pp. 1–6. doi:10.1109/R10-HTC49770.2020.9357057. ISBN 978-1-7281-1110-0. S2CID 232062927 – via IEEE Xplore.