SOP for medical tourists and companions

KUALA LUMPUR: Individuals seeking medical treatment in Malaysia, including their companions, must undergo 14-day mandatory isolation and Covid-19 tests as part of the government’s standard operating procedure (SOP) for medical tourists.

Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) CEO Sherene Azli said they needed to go for a Covid-19 PCR test at an approved testing facility in their home country three days before they visit the country for medical purposes.

Patients must also come in a charter flight, private jet or via medical evacuation.

She said the measure was part of the guideline to protect Malaysians and the country’s borders.

“We have to make sure when we receive these patients that they are safe as well, ” Sherene said at a press briefing. It is not about making it hard, but making it safe, ” she emphasised.

When asked about assurances that patients must have valid tests and medical certificates from their home countries, Sherene said they would only accept tests from approved centres to minimise the risks.

She said that out of 70 private hospitals catering for medical tourism, only 15 were ready to receive patients because of this strict SOP.

Sherene added that they had received about 250 serious enquiries to date but only 16 had arrived here as of Aug 17 for treatment.

The arrival of three Indonesians in Penang last Friday seeking medical treatment had drawn a lot of flak on social media.

Sherene said the three patients who were accompanied by two carers had arrived in Penang on a chartered flight.

Two of them were seeking treatment for cancer while the third patient was a paediatric cardiology case.

The MHTC showed a video recording of their arrival to the press. They were closely escorted by medical personnel who also disinfected the path these patients had trod on.

“We are very concerned about our own well-being and at the same time we are trying to balance the humanitarian requirement of our patients who desperately need such medical treatments, ” Sherene said, adding that they were trying to help restart the economy in a small way.

In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 1.3 million healthcare travellers.

In June, the National Security Council (NSC) had decided that foreign patients could seek treatment in Malaysia with mandatory 14 days in the hospital room and a Covid-19 test.

Upon arrival, they must also be immediately taken to the private hospital of their choice for treatment.

The NSC subsequently decided that only foreign medical evacuees – patients with life-threatening conditions – may come to Malaysia for treatment in the initial phase.

More than half of these medical tourists were Indonesians.

As of yesterday, Indonesia has recorded 143,000 accumulated cases and 6,277 Covid-19 deaths.