PUTRAJAYA, 24 April 2015 – Malaysia’s medical tourism received a boost when the country was declared as “Medical Travel Destination of the Year” at the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) Medical Travel Awards 2015. The event took place at the Royal Garden Hotel in London on 15 April.

Malaysia won the award based on all-round excellence in promoting inbound medical tourism, verified statistics of yearly growth in medical tourists served, evidence of high levels of patient satisfaction and coordinated activities that delivered an increase in medical tourism.

The “Medical Travel Destination of the Year” award was received by the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) Sherene Azura Azli. MHTC was established in 2009 under the Ministry of Health to develop and promote Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry.

A total of 13 awards in four categories (Healthcare Provider and Agency, Marketing, Quality and Service, and Overall Achievement) were handed out at the ceremony. Malaysia’s private hospitals received several awards during the event, namely Excellence in Customer Service (Gleneagles Hospital, Kuala Lumpur), Best Quality Initiative of the Year (Imperial Dental Specialist Centre), Best Travel Website of the Year (Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare), International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year (Beverly Wilshire Medical Centre), and International Dental Clinic of the Year (Imperial Dental Specialist Centre).

Besides that, two hospitals also came in as the most Highly Commended hospitals. They are Imperial Dental Specialist Centre for its travel website and Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur for its customer service.

Undoubtedly, these recognitions will not only help raise awareness on the country’s top notch and innovative healthcare facilities, but also its position as a premier world-class medical tourism destination.

In 2014, during the inaugural IMTJ Medical Travel Awards, Malaysia’s private hospitals swept three out of nine awards, i.e. International Hospital of the Year (Gleneagles, Kuala Lumpur), International Dental Clinic of the Year (Imperial Dental Specialist Clinic, Kuala Lumpur) and International Infertility Clinic of the Year (Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur).

Organised by the IMTJ, which was established in 2007, the annual IMTJ Medical Travel Awards is a prestigious award that recognises innovation, excellence and best practices in the medical travel and medical tourism sector. It is judged by an independent panel of medical travel experts.

This year, the awards ceremony was held in conjunction with the IMTJ Medical Summit, which took place at the same venue from 15-16 April.

If you have any inquiries regarding the award, kindly contact the Manager – Public Relations & Communications of MHTC Shobena Singam at +6 03 2283 2003 or via email at shobena@mhtc.org.my
 
ENDS

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at all levels. Since its inception, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds and it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2014, Malaysia registered 27.4 million tourist arrivals and RM72 billion in receipts, making tourism its second largest foreign exchange earner.

Malaysia celebrated its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) in 2014 with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The promotion of the country continues with the MALAYSIA YEAR OF FESTIVALS (MyFEST) campaign in 2015 with the theme “Endless Celebrations” emphasising the various festivals celebrated by its multicultural society. Both campaigns are key drivers towards achieving the country’s target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area).    

Through the Tourism NKEA, collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, other Government agencies and the private sector have been enhanced to help secure Malaysia’s position as a leading tourist destination. The targets set under the Tourism NKEA will be achieved through the implementation of twelve Entry Point Projects (EPPs) clustered under five themes: Affordable Luxury; Nature Adventure; Family Fun; Events, Entertainment, Spa and Sports; and Business Tourism.  

Press contact:
Media & Publicity Unit:
Azizah Aziz (Ms), Senior Deputy Director, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8752
Email: azizahaziz@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:
Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my