Global Health Asia-Pacific March 2022 March 2022 | Page 45

IHH Healthcare owns some of the most well-known hospitals in Southeast Asia , including Mount Elizabeth in Singapore and Gleneagles in Malaysia
at an MHTC Member Hospital and its internal isolation protocol .
The MHTC is also collaborating with the Health Informatics Centre of the Ministry of Health and the National Cancer Registry to streamline cancer data collection by encouraging hospitals to provide their cancer incidence information to registries . This information is crucial for strengthening evidencebased medical practice that benefits patients , explained Mohd Daud .
These successful collaborations demonstrate the MHTC ’ s commitment to building more public-private partnerships ( PPP ) to improve quality of care for both local and international patients . “ We need to continue forging industry resilience via stronger PPPs with stakeholders and key industry players to rebuild and recover the industry in a sustainable manner ,” he said .
Another element in the MHTC ’ s post-pandemic strategy was the launch of the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme whose goal is to cement Malaysia ’ s popularity among international patients . The aim is to “ elevate Malaysia ’ s private healthcare services ,” stressed Mohd Daud , by recognising selected private hospitals that are on par with worldrenowned medical institutions and boosting their and the country ’ s profile in the healthcare travel landscape . The selection of the facilities is still ongoing , and the MHTC will announce updates in the near future .
Along with its traditional target markets , including Indonesia , China , and Singapore , the MHTC plans to step up marketing by working closely with member hospitals to determine other areas or markets to focus on ” to promote the sector as one of the key economic drivers in the post-pandemic recovery , Mohd Daud said .
He acknowledges that the road back to prepandemic levels is still bumpy , as consumer behaviours may have shifted and uncertainties around the pandemic remain , but he is confident that it ’ s just a matter of time before the industry starts thriving again .
This sentiment is echoed by the leader of Malaysiabased medical giant IHH Healthcare , one of the world ’ s largest private hospital groups . “ When we completely reopen , and all these [ restrictions ] go back to normal , I ’ m quite sure that it will come back and will continue its upward growth ,” Kelvin Loh , the company ’ s CEO , said in an interview with Nikkei Asia in December , adding that overseas patient numbers returned to normal in Turkey , one of its home markets , about two months after the country re-opened its borders .
The group owns some of the most well-known hospitals in Southeast Asia , including Mount Elizabeth in Singapore and Gleneagles in Malaysia , where many international patients seek treatment .
According to Loh , the biggest driver of healthcare consumption in Asia will be the region ’ s growing ageing population , a group of people 65 and older more likely to require medical care . n
He acknowledges that the road back to prepandemic levels is still bumpy , as consumer behaviours may have shifted and uncertainties around the pandemic remain , but he is confident that it ’ s just a matter of time before the industry starts thriving again .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com MARCH 2022
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