Mapping Malaysia's Resource Centres

08 Healthcare and Pharmaceutical The healthcare industry is an important sector that has been identified by the Government of Malaysia as a key economic growth contributor. There are four main focuses: healthcare tourism, medical devices, medical gloves and pharmaceuticals. Healthcare tourism is spearheaded by Malaysia Healthcare Tourism Council (MHTC) to drive growth strategy and promotional activities. There are over 70 hospitals taking part in supporting the healthcare tourism initiative which generates an estimated RM1.5 billion in travel revenues. Malaysia was ranked in the top 10 tourist destinations by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and 3rd best place to retire in the world. In addition to being awarded 3rd place in the healthcare category as among the world’s best and most affordable by International Living, an expatriate lifestyle guide and magazine; Malaysia has emerged as one of the top performing countries within the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. The Global Market Report ranks Malaysia as the world’s top healthcare travel destination by value, ahead of USA and South Korea. Emerging as one of the new areas for development and promotion is the medical devices industry, which has registered significant growth together with the Government’s efforts to provide quality health and medical services. Malaysia’s total export of medical devices have amounted to over RM23 billion. Major export markets for this area were Belgium, Germany, Japan, Singapore and USA. Malaysia is currently the world’s leading producer and exporter of catheters and surgical and examination gloves, supplying 80% of the world’s market for catheters and 60% for rubber gloves. Other exports of medical devices, which registered strong growth, included cannula, needles, medical & surgical instruments as well as orthopaedic appliances. Owing to a conducive manufacturing ecosystem, Malaysia has become the preferred destination to invest in medical devices manufacturing. Malaysia also produces various generic drugs for local consumption and exporting purposes. Exports are regulated and controlled by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA). Apart from that, Malaysia has become a leading country to practice and accept halal pharmaceuticals through the establishment of the Halal Pharmaceutical General Guidelines MS 2424 2012 by Standard Malaysia, a national standards and accreditation body. Malaysian pharmaceutical exports have amounted to over RM1.7 billion of which key markets included Belgium, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Singapore and USA.