Malaysia considers new private hospital for Laos
Malaysia considers new private hospital for Laos
Malaysia may build a private hospital in Vientiane within the next two years to provide access to quality medical treatment for Lao citizens and the international community.
Manager of Marketing and Promotions of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) Mr Vincent Gooi told Vientiane Times last week that the group – an initiative of the Ministry of Health in Malaysia – was considering options to expand into Laos.
In November this year, after the second Malaysia International Healthcare Travel Expo in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Gooi will visit Laos for several days to explore the possibility of building the new hospital.
According to MHTC, they have already built medical facilities in other countries such as Singapore, India, Indonesia and Turkey.
Many patients from Asean nations travel to Malaysia for hospital care but there is no record of any Lao nationals attending any of the MHTC's 70 member hospitals in Malaysia.
The treatment in Malaysia is of a high quality and similar to that of Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, but the cost of treatmen t in Malaysia is lower.
“I understand that some Lao people prefer to receive treatment in Thailand because they share a land border and the road access is of a good condition,” he said.
The most direct way to reach Malaysia is on a flight from Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur. There are other flight options but these include stopovers in Thailand and Cambodia.
The reason MHTC wants to build a hospital in Laos is to open up access to better healthcare facilities. The new hospital would therefore offer excellent service and modern equipment similar to that of Malaysia, he said.
MHTC is encouraging many people to consider Malaysia as a place to receive medical treatment as it is a country with a diverse mix of people living in harmony and excellent healthcare standards.
Situated in the heart of Southeast Asia, Malaysia is easily accessible within the region and by air, land and sea.
At present, the Lao government has extended a welcoming hand to overseas investors planning to commit to healthcare development in the country. Laos currently has two private hospitals operating in Bokeo and Luang Namtha provinces.
vientiane times
