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Kuala Lumpur is a major healthcare travel destination in Malaysia .
MHTC ’ s member hospitals have taken steps to stay digitally connected with patients through live discussions and by turning to virtual consultations to ensure continuity of care return of confidence for tourists to start travelling again .
“ Our optimistic target for 2021 is to achieve more than RM520 million ( US $ 124 million ) in revenue , subject to these factors . Should the industry experience a slower recovery period , we aim to earn closer to RM480 million ( US $ 114 million ) in revenue in 2021 ,” he explained . “ Overall , our optimistic projection is to return to pre-pandemic figures by the year 2025 . Of course , we would definitely welcome an earlier recovery .”
Throughout the pandemic , healthcare operators have been forced to respond to the new situation . For example , MHTC ’ s member hospitals have taken steps to stay digitally connected with patients through live discussions and by turning to virtual consultations to ensure continuity of care .
Mohd Daud believes it ’ s crucial that the sector takes the lessons learnt from COVID-19 and looks into improving practices to provide an enhanced patient experience to international healthcare seekers .
“ This is where integrating digital touchpoints in the patient experience plays a key role in ensuring access to healthcare services , even with persisting travel restrictions . The effectiveness of prompt decisions will result in maintaining patient trust which has been carefully earned over the years ,” he said .
Malaysia ’ s healthcare sector is already working on ways to establish a digital infrastructure that builds trust in patients and ensures their safety while delivering high-quality healthcare services at the same time .
For example , MHTC recently signed a memorandum of understanding with DoctorOnCall , one of Malaysia ’ s leading telehealth services platforms , to facilitate patient care online amid the current travel restrictions .
The partnership will allow MHTC ’ s member hospitals to access the platform ’ s digital healthcare capabilities to provide telehealth services and enable existing patients to consult their doctors . It will also further enable Malaysia Healthcare to enter into digital healthcare , an area that will enhance patient experience , especially for its healthcare travellers .
Private hospitals have also stepped in to assist public healthcare facilities in managing the patient burden and resource strain by taking in non-COVID-19 patients and providing trained nurses .
At the same time , operators expect to face changing long-term dynamics in the healthcare industry and are anticipating that fewer people will be willing to go overseas for medical care .
Mohd Daud expects that , overall , healthcare destinations could be met with more reluctance as patients look for alternative treatment plans but suggests that operators can overcome this with the appropriate tools for success .
“ Healthcare facilities and destinations can encourage healthcare travel activity by arming themselves with necessary procedures and infrastructure to support and deliver a much safer
42 OCTOBER 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com