Philips Malaysia To Spur Medical Tourism In NCER

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Philips Malaysia sees huge potential in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) in terms of spurring medical tourism."There is huge potential whenever tourists come in. Wherever tourists are, facilities are available - that would be an ideal thing," its chairman and chief executive officer Dr Rajah Kumar told Bernama recently.The NCER masterplan, spanning more than 15 years, will see Langkawi and Jerejak islands turning into premium high-end tourist destinations that could cater as well to health tourism."Whether Langkawi or any other places up north, I see it as a huge potential for Philips," said Kumar."But it is a question of developing the healthcare industry faster so that the medical tourism can benefit."Philips has just signed an agreement for the installation of the Philips Achieva 3.0 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system and Ambient Experience Suite at Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC).The MRI system, costing from about RM10 million, is the first of its kind in Malaysia and second in Asia, and will be operational at SJMC in December.Commenting on the healthcare industry, Kumar said the RM1 billion industry is growing "very fast," at about six to eight percent a year."I think the future growth is going to come from the medical systems segment," he said, adding that the segment is contributing a "substantial portion" to Philips Malaysia.Philips ranks third in Malaysia's medical systems market and is growing at a double digit rate in the category, said Kumar.Philips Medical currently accounts for over 20 percent of the Philips Group turnover, up substantially from six percent over the past 10 years.Meanwhile, SJMC healthcare group chief executive officer Elaine Cheong said the healthcare provider company has plans to open branches in NCER."We see NCER as an opportunity for us to go to the north," she said without naming specific locations."There are a lot of opportunities for us up north. SJMC is on an expansion plan, so we will be expanding within Malaysia as well as in the Klang Valley itself."SJMC is a 390-bedded hospital with 89 specialist suites serving 1,600 patients a day. Its 14 operating theatres are equipped to handle a multiplicity of surgical procedures ranging from complex transplants to minimally invasive surgery.It recently installed Southeast Asia's first 64-slice PET/CT scanner, which is also Asia's fourth installation in the region.Cheong pointed out that Malaysia offers one of the lowest medical costs in the region together with "competent skills and world class facilities."