Malaysia gunning to be Asia's next fertility treatment hub

Over 20,000 IVF cycles are expected by 2020.

Malaysia is setting its sights on becoming Asia’s next leader when it comes to fertility treatment, on back of strong demand from medical tourists from Indonesia and China.

Speaking at the Medical Travel Market Intelligence Conference, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) Sherene Azli reported that medical tourism revenue is projected to surge by 30% year-on-year and is estimated to reach RM2.8 billion in revenue by 2020.

“Malaysia aims to become a fertility and cardiology hub in Asia and so far, our success rate has been very comparable with other countries," she said, adding that the lifting of China's one-child policy has opened up a huge opportunity for Malaysia.

"In 2017, an average of 6,000-7,000 in-vitro fertilisation cycles were performed and we’ve estimated that it will increase to 20,000 cycles by 2020. This service was done at a fraction of the cost charged in other countries,” she added.

Azli revealed that a flagship medical tourism hospital will be constructed in the near future, which will be a joint effort by the government and the private sector.

The MHTC is also working with the immigration department for easier visa processing for medical tourists, she added.