Page 94 - KPJ_2011

KPJ intensified its medical tourism activities in 2011,
strengthening its brand and growing its profile of
international patients through marketing and promotions in
target markets in Asia, the Middle East and Australia.
The Group made a greater presence in these target
markets through participation in international exhibitions,
trade expos, and sales visits across several countries in
the Asia continent, focusing mainly on Indonesia, Australia,
Bangladesh and China as well as the Middle East, to name
a few.
The number of medical tourists, who are essentially patients
who travel out of their home country to a foreign destination
for elective surgeries and procedures, are expected to
continue rising in future years as many more will be attracted
to take advantage of the international-standard medical
care at competitive prices that are available in Malaysia.
This, coupled with the Government’s initiatives to boost the
healthcare travel industry, should also contribute to further
development of the sector.
As a major healthcare player in Malaysia, these
developments will bode well for KPJ and the Group is also
planning to further strengthen its foothold in target markets
through continued promotions and aggressive marketing.
Strategy to Grow the Medical Tourism Dollar
While the domestic market remains the mainstay for KPJ
hospitals, the management believes that one way to support
sustainable growth is to enhance its market position in other
areas of high potential, one of them being the medical
tourism segment.
The Government’s interest in building up Malaysia as a
medical tourism hub has catapulted healthcare travel to
even greater significance than before, starting first with the
launch of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) in
December 2009 and subsequent health travel promotional
activities led by MHTC, the Association of Private Hospitals
of Malaysia (APHM) and various healthcare facilitators and
government agencies.
Further regulatory liberalisation by the Government, in
support of medical tourism, opened new avenues for
healthcare players, including KPJ, to promote their services
to potential patients abroad.
Driven by the positive outlook as well as these Government
initiatives, KPJ lent its support to many of the activities led
by MHTC, the Ministry of Health and the Tourism Ministry,
which took KPJ to many international trade fairs and
roadshows throughout the year.
Promoting KPJ at International Exhibitions
The year’s marketing efforts took KPJ to Indonesia,
beginning with sales visits and promotions at Acheh and
Medan in January and later in November to Surabaya.
The promotional drive in Surabaya was led by MHTC and it
also served as a platform for KPJ to expand its network with
travel agents who can refer patients to KPJ hospitals.
Indonesia is an important market for KPJ as it currently
accounts for the largest proportion of KPJ’s international
patients, accounting for almost a third, and it is expected to
continue to remain a significant market for the Group.
Meanwhile, efforts were also made to further enhance
KPJ’s presence in the Middle East and in highly-populated
countries such as Bangladesh and China.
The Middle Eastern market promises much growth
potential as Malaysia is a very attractive destination given
the many similarities in culture and customs. KPJ is also
well-positioned to attract patients from the Middle East
given its previous experience in managing hospitals in
Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia’s national trade promotion agency Malaysia
External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) has also
identified the Middle East as one of the target markets
for promotion of the country’s healthcare business and as
a major healthcare player, KPJ is fully supportive of the
initiatives launched by Matrade.
In April, KPJ participated in the fourth edition of the Malaysia
Services Exhibition (MSE 2011), which was held at the Abu
Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi, the capital
of United Arab Emirates (UAE).
KPJ’s marketing efforts in the Arab countries also included
sales visits and tie-ups with medical tourism agents, with
the aim of enhancing the Group’s relations with the local
governments and other business establishments from the
UAE region for the treatment of their employees to KPJ
hospitals in Malaysia.
Medical Tourism
A Hidden Jewel
KPJ participates in exhibition in Middle East
89 ANNUAL REPORT 2011