GEORGE TOWN – The Penang government is hoping that the expansion of two local private hospitals will result in more specialised care services and the hiring of more doctors to consolidate the state’s hold as a leading medical tourism destination.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow noted that both Island Hospital in George Town and Pantai Hospital in Bayan Baru are undergoing huge expansion drives.
“We hope this results in better healthcare services for the people and medical tourists,” he said.
Chow said that before the pandemic Penang had a 50% to 60% market share of the country’s inbound medical tourists.
Medical tourism was estimated to be worth around some RM500 million in revenue for 2017, according to data from the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council.
Earlier, Chow officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony for the RM400 million expansion of the Pantai Hospital Penang facility.
Among the dignitaries present were Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, the hospital’s chief executive officer Pan Wen Lek and its parent company IHH Healthcare Malaysia’s chief executive officer Jean-Francois Naa.
The upcoming seven-storey medical block with 176,140sq ft of space will offer a range of specialities and healthcare services. It will be equipped with 117 beds, a total of 14 intensive care units (ICUs)/critical care units (CCUs)/high dependency units (HDUs), 36 consultation suites, five operating theatres, a cardiac catheterisation laboratory and four endoscopy rooms.
Its key specialities include stroke, heart, urology and orthopaedics. The hospital currently houses the only stroke centre in the northern region.
Following the completion, Pantai Hospital Penang will remodel its current building to increase its capacity further.
By 2026, Pantai Hospital Penang will be a 307-bedded facility with a total of 30 ICU/CCU/HDUs, 89 consultation suites, 10 operating theatres, two cardiac catheterisation laboratories, five endoscopy rooms and over 400 parking bays – The Vibes, August 6, 2022
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