Hotel or Hospital? Spot the Difference!

It could be any upmarket hotel.  A retired Australian couple wander through the main atrium, suitcases in one hand, travel guides in the other. A concierge sits at the entrance, offering information on sightseeing and shopping. Room rates are posted on the front counter, boasting views of the glittering Petronas Towers and the lush greens of the Royal Selangor Golf Club.

Except it's not a hotel - it's Prince Court Medical Centre, one of the jewels in the crown of Malaysia's burgeoning medical tourism sector. The luxurious, 277-bed private hospital is one of almost 80 healthcare facilities endorsed by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, an agency set up by the Ministry of Health in 2009 to promote Malaysia to foreign patients.

It appears to be working. Malaysia was recently proclaimed the top medical travel destination by the International Medical Travel Journal. 

They come for all sorts of procedures - cosmetic, dentistry, orthopedics, cardiology, weight loss. Prince Court is particularly known for its plastic reconstructive services. The hospital was established by Petronas, Malaysia's national oil and gas company, in 2007, and developed a sophisticated burns unit to treat the injuries of its workers.

These days, patients are more likely to come from overseas than the oil rigs. For two years in a row, Prince Court has been named the best hospital in the world by the Medical Travel Quality Alliance. It has its own business lounge for international patients, where multilingual staff can help book appointments and sort out visa extensions. 

Prince Court Medical Centre is one of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council's elite members.

Dr Yap Lok Huei is one of Prince Court's consultant plastic surgeons. He was trained in Ireland and Hong Kong, and spent 25 years working overseas. Before Prince Court, he was with the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.

Google his name, and reviews from patients come up on cosmetic surgery websites and forums. He has worked on the breasts, tummies and faces of women from all over the world.

Dr Yap is somewhat reluctant to be seen as an advocate for medical tourism, describing it as an "accidental geopolitical situation" that the difference in currency values allows foreign patients to get elective procedures in Malaysia for less than in their home countries.  But Dr Yap would rather his services be described as "cost-effective" than cheap.

"We are doctors first, and maybe businessmen second."

Thanks to: Siobhan Downes, www.stuff.co.nz 

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