KUCHING: Sarawak received 21,603 foreign patients who came to seek medical treatment bringing in an estimated receipt of RM27.36 million in 2016.
Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the majority of the medical visitors are from Indonesia with the total number of 16,225 patients.
“In most cases families members will accompany those who come to seek medical treatment here and will stay for an average of about a week depending on the type of medical treatment sought,” he said in his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly sitting here yesterday.
According to him, medical tourism is increasing its clout in the global tourism and the momentum has promptly diffused in the developing Asia like Sarawak, Malaysia.
He said the medical tourism sector has been expanding and contributing to the State economy.
New private hospitals are being built to cater for the increasing demand, he added.
“The rise in number of specialist private hospitals across the State such as Borneo Medical Centre and New KPJ Hospital, not only helps to uplift the people’s quality of life, but of equal importance, to make Sarawak a destination of medical tourism,” the minister said.
