KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 12): KPJ Healthcare Bhd said it recorded a significant increase in foreign patients receiving treatments through KPJ Healthcare hospitals in Malaysia and Indonesia.

In a statement on Friday (Aug 12), the hospital group said that in June, the company recorded an approximately 40% increase in foreign patient visits from neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Indo-China, and Bangladesh.

It said the June 2022 statistics also indicated that the number of patient visits almost quadrupled from the same period last year, making Indonesia the largest contributor to the health tourism business at KPJ Healthcare hospitals.

It said Riau Islands, Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Aceh, Pekanbaru, and Kalimantan accounted for the vast majority of patients in this category.

Against the backdrop of the numbers, coupled with an increase in the number of flights and ferry services, KPJ Healthcare said it will focus on and prioritise the development of health tourism from the Indonesian market.

The group said that among the treatments and consultations that were highly sought after were cancer, cardiology, neurology, orthopaedic, and fertility services.

Other specialities included paediatric, general surgery, and health screenings.

KPJ Healthcare president and managing director Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said the hospital welcomes international health travellers.

“This is in line with our aim to re-energise the Indonesian market as our primary health tourism business for KPJ Healthcare.

“We expect to see a continued upward trend in the next few months due to the reopening of borders and easing of quarantine requirements since last year, which have tremendously helped our rebuilding efforts in the health tourism segment,” he said.

At the midday break on Friday, KPJ Healthcare had risen 0.57% or half a sen to 88 sen, with 317,500 shares traded.