3 Reasons Why Malaysia Offers Safe Health Care

Number 1:  As Malaysian Medical Tourism Industry Flourishes, So Does Your Safety

Since how does a stranger in Malaysia, thousands of miles away from home, drilling in your mouth translate to safe health care?  The medical tourism phenomenon has been sweeping across nations as patients weigh the safety of "too little, too late" health care against traveling to a foreign land for treatment.  Profit is one reason medical tourism helps increase the safety of your health care abroad.  For countries like Malaysia, medical tourism was responsible for more than $87 million dollars of the country’s revenue in 2008.  The medical tourism industry has been quite profitable for all stakeholders involved, included the host country.  Consequently, it’s in Malaysia’s best interest to ensure patients’ safety so as not to tarnish the country's reputation and risk losing out on its piece of the multi-billion dollar industry.  

 

Number 2:  It Isn’t Safe Health Care If You Can’t Get It

The most powerful countries in the world have massive wealth and some of the best health care programs and facilities.  Yet, they also have two major health care issues: affordability and availability—people either can’t afford it or can’t afford the wait times for it.  For countries like the United States, lack of affordability makes low priced health care seem like a luxury, particularly when it comes to necessary procedures like root canals or heart surgery.  Whether you agree with the current health care reform plan or not, something needs to happen.  For more than 750,000 Americans in 2007, that something was medical tourism.  

 

Other countries like Canada, France, and the UK don’t have the affordability issues with health care like the US.  Instead, their struggle is lack of available care.  Canadians may benefit from a low priced root canal or kidney transplant…if the line isn’t too long.  Malaysia, though considered a "developing" country, offers patients both the affordability and availability they seek.

 

Number 3:  Medical Tourism Fear Factor May Actually Boost Your Safety abroad

We are generally far more attentive when we’re nervous or anxious about something, even to the point of being hypersensitive to that fear.  By channeling the energy and awareness that fear produces, you can make your medical tourism much safer.  Use that discomfort to research your trip (doctor, hospital, country) to a point where you feel comfortable knowing that you understand and agree to what you’re getting into.  For example, say the thought of being attacked or pick-pocketed in Malaysia makes you nervous, but you know you can't find a better way to get a low priced root canal.  You might find relief learning that violent crime involving tourists in Malaysia is fairly uncommon, especially in cities like Melaka, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur.  Such reports may not completely remove your fears, but being prepared and knowing what to expect can certainly alleviate them.