MEDICAL TOURISM HOSPITAL OF THE YEAR IN ASIA PACIFIC
ISLAND HOSPITAL
As the preferred medical service provider in the region , Island Hospital in Penang serves the medical needs of more than 100,000 health travellers every year .
This year will be the hospital ’ s 26th year in operation , and with it comes a new milestone : the opening of a new expansion block known as Peel Wing . This development adds 300 more hospital beds to existing capacity , effectively making it Penang ’ s first 600-bed private hospital .
The opening of Peel Wing marks the completion of the first phase of Island Hospital ’ s visionary Island Medical City ( IMC ) project . IMC is a highly ambitious project driven by the hospital ’ s vision to be the first-of-its-kind medical hub in Malaysia . Designed to centre around healthcare travellers ’ needs , it will feature state-of-the-art medical equipment and the largest and most advanced tertiary care facility in Penang . When fully completed , IMC will be a first class medical centre housing 1,000 beds , a medical tourism hotel , medical suites , and other ancillary facilities .
In response to the travel restrictions during the pandemic years beginning in 2020 , Island Hospital introduced several long-term hospital-withoutwalls initiatives to meet the needs of healthcare travellers .
These included a tele-consultation service for healthcare travellers to reach out to their trusted doctors in the hospital . Although physical exami-
Adeline Goh & Narender Panjwani
nations were not possible , tele-consultation services ensured continuity of care for patients who were barred from travelling . Those abroad continued to enjoy easy access to their attending physicians regardless of location , something that was very comforting to them .
To complement the tele-consultation service , medicine delivery service was also made available for patients abroad who only required medications . It gave international patients peace of mind to be able to continue to get their prescriptions from a trusted source . These services continued for over two years up until international borders reopened .
For inpatient services , Island Hospital introduced routine chartered flights from neighbouring cities to
Penang , servicing only Island Hospital patients with an affordable airfare . Careful coordination was made with patients prior to travel , smoothening immigration processes and other arrangements , such as COVID-19 screening tests , to make the service as seamless as possible . All of this was made possible with the support of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council ( MHTC ) when it opened borders for international healthcare travellers via medical evacuation .
To facilitate post-travel isolation and treatment care for patients who travelled from abroad , the hospital arranged a dedicated COVID-19 ward for this purpose . This allowed patients to recuperate in total comfort without having to worry about isolation and accommodation during the duration of their travel and treatment at the hospital .
Staying connected digitally was also a top priority for the hospital , as it did not want patients to feel neglected even though they were unable to physically travel . Regular newsletters , e-mailers , and personal messages were sent to patients to keep them abreast of happenings and the situation in Malaysia and at the hospital . This drew patients closer to the hospital and kept them excited about the reopening of borders that would allow them to travel again .
144 SEPTEMBER 2022 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com