GEORGE TOWN: Penang recorded a nearly 26% increase in foreign patients at its private hospitals in 2025.
State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said data from the Penang Centre of Medical Tourism (PMED), involving 16 private hospitals in the state, showed the number of foreign patients rose to 527,176 in 2025 compared to 418,608 in 2024.
“The increase also contributed to revenue generation of RM1.14bil last year compared to RM898.07mil in 2024,” he told the State Legislative Assembly on Monday (May 11).
Wong, in a reply to Ong Ah Teong (PH-Batu Lancang) on Penang’s achievements in the medical tourism sector, said the growth further strengthened the state's position as a major Malaysian medical tourism hub.
Wong said the state government was collaborating with airlines, including AirAsia, through the Boarding Pass Privileges programme in conjunction with the Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026.
“Through the programme, which runs from Oct 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026, passengers from outside Malaysia with boarding passes and foreign passports can enjoy a 15% discount on health screening packages,” he said.
He added that foreign patients were also offered payment options in their home currencies such as the Indonesian rupiah through the Quick Response Indonesian Standard (QRIS) system.
Wong said the state government was also participating in medical tourism promotions and exhibitions in several countries including China, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Myanmar.
He added that efforts to strengthen flight connectivity to key medical tourism source cities such as Medan, Aceh, Jakarta, Surabaya and Yangon were also being intensified to support the sector’s growth.
