'There's Huge Potential In Medical Tourism.'

Gleneagles Penang CEO Ivan Loh shares how the hospital has evolved over the past 40 years.

- Sharon Masige

Malaysia is one of the most popular destinations in the world for medical tourism, where people travel to another country to receive medical treatments. In 2016, Malaysia hosted more than 921,000 medical tourists, and recorded a 23 per cent rise in its medical travel industry when compared with 2015.Malaysia’s popularity in this sector is due to its high level of medical expertise in both private and public health care, and the provision of relatively affordable services. For international travellers, it has the added benefits of cheaper airfares and accommodation, good public transport and a reputation for high-quality customer service.

Following the Asian Financial Crisis, the Malaysian government focused heavily on the healthcare travel sector. In 2009, the Ministry of Health established the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), which aims to promote the country’s healthcare industry worldwide. When tabling the 2018 Budget, the Malaysian government announced the allocation of RM30 million to boost the healthcare travel industry.

Malaysia has been named International Medical Travel Journal’s Destination of the Year three times in a row, 2015–17, with two of its biggest healthcare travel hubs being Kuala Lumpur and the state of Penang. And it is on Penang Island, that the Gleneagles Penang private hospital came to life.

Gleneagles Penang CEO Ivan Loh began his career as a chartered accountant before taking up a position at the medical centre in 1996. He recalls that the business was very small at the time, and people were just starting to purchase health insurance. But a change was on the horizon.

“In 1996, we started seeing Indonesians coming over to Malaysia to seek treatment,” Ivan tells