Malaysia’s lead government agency for medical tourism, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) has introduced its first Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Program in collaboration with global medical accreditation bodies IQVIA and Joint Commission International (JCI). The program aims to play an instrumental role in transforming the healthcare ecosystem to reinforce Malaysia’s position as trusted destination for healthcare.
As part of the initiative, four hospitals were selected as part of a competitive process, namely the National Heart Institute (IJN), Island Hospital, Mahkota Medical Centre, and Subang Jaya Medical Centre. The finalists advanced into the next phase of the program, the Acceleration Period 2023-2025, which will assess their growth and development against best practices and benchmarks in medical and service excellence, as well as international branding. The finalists will also be granted several incentives including fast-track support, flexible testing concepts trough healthcare technology sandbox, and others.
Malaysia’s Health Minister also announced the provision of a Special Investment Tax Allowance (ITA) for the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Program finalists, which will provide the shortlisted hospitals with the resources to make qualifying capital expenditures to support their growth plans during the acceleration period from 2023 to 2025. This special ITA will include technology investments aimed at driving digital transformation in healthcare.
(Sources: New Straits Times; Malay Mail)