Medical Tourism in Malaysia

Relatively new among countries known for their medical tourism industries, Malaysia is beginning to attract visitors in search of quality healthcare at low prices. With international standards of service and equipment and private medical facilities requiring licensing from the Ministry of Health, Malaysia is quickly becoming a preferred destination for foreign visitors seeking major and minor surgery at a fraction of the cost of identical procedures in their home countries.

Popular procedures can cost at least 25 percent less than in the US. Major surgical interventions like heart surgery are often under US$10,000 in Malaysia compared to the US or the UK, where similar services can be as expensive as US$100 000. In addition, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual physicians of almost every religious denomination are available at most facilities. According to Malaysia’s Department of Tourism, medical expertise in Malaysia ranks among the best in the world.

The state of Penang actively promotes its private facilities. Clients arrive from around the world on medical package tours comprising areas such as executive health screening and blood testing. There is also a fertility center, a laser eye-surgery center and a heart center. Cardiac procedures are particularly popular, with bypass heart surgery without complications often as much as 60 to 70 percent less expensive than in the West.

With a well developed tourism infrastructure and low cost of living, Malaysia makes it easy and affordable for overseas patients to spend an extended period of convalescence in the country. Relaxed, quiet and with several medical centers a short distance from beautiful beaches, the opportunities for an agreeable period of recovery are numerous.