KELANTAN MAKES INROADS INTO MEDICAL TOURISM MARKET

KOTA BHARU, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- Kelantan has begun making inroads into the medical tourism sector by targeting the Indonesian, Singaporean and Thai markets, leveraging private specialist hospitals that offer more competitive treatment costs.

State Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Kamaruddin Md Noor said the state has started promotional efforts in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, and organised familiarisation visits to attract patients to seek treatment in Kelantan.

“Among the hospitals ready to provide such services are Universiti Sains Malaysia Specialist Hospital (HPUSM), which is well known for its neurological expertise, as well as Kota Bharu Medical Centre (KBMC), which is actively increasing its bed capacity to meet demand.

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“Although the number of international patients is still not high, arrivals from Indonesia in particular are showing positive growth.

“Kelantan’s main strength lies in the quality of its medical services, which are on par with major hospitals in other states but offered at a lower cost,” he said after the 2025 appreciation dinner for tourism industry players and arts practitioners here last night.

He said the state government would assist in terms of promotion, while hospitals must ensure the highest standards of service and treatment, as these would be the key attractions for the state’s medical tourism sector.

In a separate development, Kamaruddin said the state government has also rebranded the Tourism Information Centre (TIC) as Tourism Kelantan to better reflect the agency’s broader role, beyond merely serving as an information centre.

He said the decision was agreed upon at a state executive council meeting last week, with the new name reflecting its comprehensive functions covering tourism management, culture and the arts.

“Previously, TIC was seen only as an information centre, even though the agency also manages programmes, events and the coordination of tourism activities. Therefore, this rebranding is intended to more accurately represent its actual scope of duties.

“Changes to the administrative structure will be implemented in stages, including the establishment of a board and organisational restructuring,” he said.

-- BERNAMA