A medical vacation is an ideal way to regenerate oneself in mind and body. The quality of healing can be phenomenal when one’s body is relaxed and mind is at ease. The whole concept of medical tourism involves the tour of patients abroad in order to seek healthcare services at a comparatively lower cost.
The concept of Medical Tourism has taken its hold from the common preference of people in highly industrialized nations such as the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Western Europe to seek quality medical treatment outside their native country at an affordable charge. Countries that actively promote medical tourism include Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia and Thailand. Malaysia ranks among the best in the world for its medical expertise. Malaysia has the most private hospitals having internationally recognized quality standards.
The combination of tourism and medical treatment means big money for countries such as Malaysia, India and Thailand, where the hospitals are aggressively marketed to foreign customers. Over the years, Malaysia has witnessed a steady growth in health care facilities, in line with the tourism industry that has helped Malaysia to position itself as one of the premier destinations for health tourism.
The whole idea of Medical Tourism was first mooted in Malaysia in 1997 when the government understood how much importance the industrialized nations put on the health of the general public. The warm, friendly and caring nature of Malaysians, especially evident in the support medical staff, has further helped Malaysia carve a niche in the field of Health Tourism.
The major advantages in choosing Malaysia as the prime destination for private health and medical care destinations are competitive prices, state of the art facilities, highly qualified medical specialists, comfortable accommodation and easily accessible tourist destinations.
Malaysia has world-class medical centers where the services offered chiefly comprise diagnostic, radiology center, dialysis, diabetics, rehabilitation, wellness & aesthetics, critical care, audiology, speech therapy etc. The cost of surgery in Malaysia can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less. For example, elective surgery like rhinoplasty and liposuction cost about 25 percent less in Malaysia than in the United States.
Malaysia is also blessed with an abundance of good beaches, hotels and resorts along the coastline. A wonderful way to ease one’s mind and body is by visiting luxurious spas and rejuvenating massages. Malaysia has a warm climate throughout the year. With excellent hotels, a superb highway system and streets that are safe and well policed, a medical vacation can be just what the doctor ordered.
Malaysia is primarily focused on providing a good value to the patient who comes prepared to take advantage of the high quality and reasonable price of health care. All private establishments are approved and licensed by the Ministry of Health and adhere to stringent rules and regulations.
Medical Tourism practice has become wildly popular due to the exorbitant and ever-rising cost of health care. With the increasing influx of foreign patients, particularly from the industrialized nations, Malaysia has made a smart move in seizing the opportunity to position itself as the major destination for medical tourism. Market trends guarantee that Malaysia medical tourism will continue to expand more in the years ahead.