The medical tourism industry is expanding rapidly. Globally, the market value of the sector is expected to reach US$35 billion (RM144 billion) this year, and this will rise to US$142 billion (RM586 billion) by 2034, according to MIDF’s latest Malaysia healthcare thematic report.
The Asia-Pacific continues to dominate this expansion, firmly establishing itself as the world’s medical tourism powerhouse.
Aggressive push
Malaysia intends to seize this fast-growing global opportunity, and this will be achieved through its flagship initiative — the Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026 (MYMT2026).
Driving this initiative is the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).
MYMT2026 is not merely a campaign; it functions as a full-court press to elevate Malaysia into the upper echelon of healthcare destinations.
It turns every lever that matters — stronger international branding, a surge in patient outreach across key regions, deeper digital and clinical innovation, and coordinated capacity-building across hospitals and tourism players.
As Dr Kuljit Singh, president of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM), points out, the country has much to offer that will make it a major draw for those seeking medicare.
“Medical check-ups, oncology, cardiology, orthopaedics, fertility and even aesthetic procedures have become top draws for foreign patients. Many Singaporeans come for screenings here because it is faster, more affordable, and the quality is on par with what they are used to,” he told FMT.
Aiming for the top
For Malaysia, the message is bold — we aim to be where the world goes for trusted, affordable, high-quality healthcare with predictable superior outcomes.
The initiative builds on real momentum. For context, before the Covid-19 pandemic, revenue from healthcare travel rose from US$201 million (RM831 million) in 2015 to US$374 million (RM1.55 billion) in 2019.
The recovery post-pandemic has been swift — in 2022 it generated US$286 million in revenue, stemming from 850,000 healthcare travellers, leading to a RM1.3 billion contribution to the economy, based on MIDF’s estimates.
In 2024, we saw the medical tourism number hit RM2.79 billion and we expect to end 2025 with a revenue of RM3.0 billion.
International consulting group Alvarez & Marsal noted that Malaysia’s pull factors remain strong in oncology, cardiology, fertility and increasingly in neurology, but the patient experience is what leads tourists seeking healthcare, to stay.
Malaysia offers something many competitors don’t — a seamless, hand-held patient journey.
Think airport meet-and-greet, visa facilitation, dedicated immigration lanes, treatment scheduling, post-care follow-up, and even healthcare lounges at KLIA.
Private hospitals amplify this experience. “Most of our hospitals offer door-to-door coordination, dedicated international patient centres and fast-track lanes,” Kuljit said.
“We operate as one-stop centres, where diagnostics, procedures and follow-up care can all be done under one roof. Patients also appreciate the multilingual capabilities of our clinicians — English, Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia — because it makes their experience smoother and more personal,” he added.
Add prices that run 30% to 50% lower than Singapore, a gap underscored in MIDF’s report, and significantly lower than Indonesian private hospitals, and the value proposition becomes hard to ignore.
Kuljit emphasised that affordability does not mean lower quality: “Our private hospitals are internationally accredited, and that gives patients confidence. Many also choose Malaysia for halal-compliant care, access to female clinicians and bundled treatment-and-stay packages that make the entire journey seamless.”
World class
The Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital (FMTH) Programme, a long-term national healthcare travel initiative, adds serious weight to this ambition.
The Alvarez & Marsal report notes that the four finalists — Institut Jantung Negara, Island Hospital Penang, Mahkota Medical Centre and Subang Jaya Medical Centre — are evolving into globally benchmarked hospitals under the FMTH initiative.
These are the institutions meant to elevate and carry Malaysia’s medical tourism brand into the next decade.
This signals Malaysia’s priority for not just more patients, but also more complex cases, international trust and enhanced visibility on a global scale using high technology equipment such as robotics for more precision guided procedures for a more predictable minimally invasive high-quality outcome.
But any industry claiming global leadership needs to evolve continuously, and Malaysia is no exception.
The challenges
Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye told FMT that while Malaysia’s push for medical tourism is economically sound, it must be paired with careful workforce governance.
“The health ministry must monitor talent allocation to avoid misappropriation of human resources,” he said, pointing to South Korea’s doctor strike last year where an overconcentration of doctors in aesthetic medicine, left shortages in emergency, O&G, and paediatrics.
Both the MIDF and Alvarez & Marsal reports underline several gaps Malaysia must address, namely: a unified digital patient platform, clearer outcome reporting to boost confidence, stronger specialist pipelines, and more aggressive market diversification beyond Indonesia.
Kuljit also highlighted untapped opportunities, noting that Malaysia’s wellness and traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) offerings are strong but underutilised.
“If packaged well, they can significantly elevate our position as a holistic healthcare destination,” he said.
Malaysia’s wellness and T&CM strengths also remain under-leveraged — an oversight, given the booming global demand for integrated medical-wellness experiences, he added.
On course
Still, the trajectory is unmistakable. With MYMT2026 setting the pace and the healthcare industry aligned in one direction, Malaysia is closer than ever to breaking out of regional status to join the global big leagues.
Few countries offer its mix of affordability, medical quality, English-speaking specialists, and a frictionless patient experience.
If Malaysia continues to tighten its strategy and closes the remaining gaps, MYMT2026 will not just be a campaign, but a moment where Malaysia becomes the standard other countries begin to emulate.