KPJ, Mayo Clinic strategic alliance to drive Malaysia's medical tourism
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- The strategic alliance forged between Malaysia’s KPJ Healthcare Berhad and world-renowned United States medical academic centre, Mayo Clinic, is set to spur the country’s medical tourism sector to greater heights.
Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the partnership provides the opportunity to boost best practices in the private medical sector in delivering their services.
“The partnership between Mayo Clinic and KPJ Healthcare Berhad, through its two specialist hospitals, KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital (KPJ DSH) and Damansara Specialist Hospital 2 (DSH 2) will raise their service performance especially relating to innovations in medicine, technology and expertise, including human resource training.
“The collaboration places KPJ in a league of its own and I hope it will also spur the national medical tourism to a higher level and place Malaysia in the best position in terms of medical tourism,” he told reporters after the signing of the strategic alliance between KPJ Healthcare and Mayo Clinic Friday.
KPJ Healthcare managing director and president Chin Keat Chyuan and Mayo Clinic’s International Practice and Asia Pacific executive medical director Dr Stacey Rizza were also present at the ceremony.
Dr Dzulkefly also pointed out that the public and private medical sectors had yet to be integrated holistically in his speech.
“The public sector caters for two thirds of outpatient and inpatient cases but 75 per cent of specialists in Malaysia are in the private sector. Resources, burden of work and data are not easily shared between the two, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, unnecessary repeat investigations and added costs.
“By forging strategic alliances with globally esteemed institutions like Mayo Clinic, KPJ Healthcare is not merely following a trajectory but actively leading the charge towards transformative change and these collaborations serve as catalysts for innovation, enabling KPJ Healthcare to pioneer new paradigms in patient care, medical research and healthcare delivery,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
