OFFICIAL ROLL-OUT OF THE MOBILE PACKAGED OXYGEN - CONOXIA® LIV ®
SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
AT THE OFFICIAL ROLL-OUT OF THE MOBILE PACKAGED OXYGEN - CONOXIA® LIV ®
5 NOVEMBER 2019
PENANG ADVENTIST HOSPITAL
Good Afternoon.
Thank you, Linde for the kind invitation to address all of you today. Being the custodian of the state and people of Penang, my colleagues and I take great interest in efforts that empower the state’s economy and the well-being of Penangites.
It is an honour to witness a significant milestone in the medical field today, one that I believe can leapfrog the Malaysian healthcare industry forward to be on par with our global neighbours and increasing the attractiveness of our pull factor as a medical tourism hub in the eyes of the world.
2019 has been an encouraging year for Penang as far as the state's economic growth is concerned.
Amidst a bearish global and domestic climate, Penang successfully recorded a 5.4% economic growth for the first nine months of 2019, compared with 4.9% for the whole of 2018.
I firmly believe the state government’s commitment and focus in driving development efforts will continue to help us weather these global economic challenges. Investors have also taken note of our efforts and resilience, demonstrated by some RM9.2 billion worth of investments secured by Penang within the first six months of this year, which is twice the amount gained last year.
Malaysia’s medical tourism specifically has been growing between 16% and 17% year-on-year over the last five years. In fact, our nation was voted the “Best Country in the World for Healthcare” in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 in the International Living magazine’s Annual Global Retirement Index — ahead of France, Thailand, Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica.
High quality treatment, accessibility, cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art facilities and competitive costs are among the factors that continue to position Malaysia as a preferred medical treatment destination globally.
The RM30.6 billion allocation from Budget 2020 sends a clear message that the administration is making a serious effort to enhance the healthcare industry by supporting parties driving growth such as the local medical device industry.
These make for a conducive environment for a thriving healthcare ecosystem that meets the healthcare needs of the Rakyat, and places Malaysia on the map as an exemplary medical hub.
Diving deeper into the figures, we are extremely pleased that Penang continues to shine in medical tourism. The state’s popularity in the medical tourism industry has attracted many visitors for treatment in line with our aspiration to make Penang an ideal health tourism hub.
Penang accounted for about 60% of total medical tourists in the country; 10.3% of international visitors in Penang were health tourists seeking medical treatment. This has been possible through smart collaborations between the private and public sectors as sharers of knowledge, technology and innovation. This greatly helps to advance the competitiveness of our healthcare industry, and in turn benefits patients.
It is very encouraging to see Linde Malaysia taking proactive steps by contributing your global expertise, technology and innovation, to benefit the state’s healthcare industry and medical professionals.
Raising the benchmark of the industry is a collaborative effort. This is why we place great importance on smart collaborations between the public and private sectors.
I encourage more parties to step forward and work with us through such collaborations that essentially drive economic growth and enhance quality of life in line with the state government's Penang2030 vision.
On that note, I congratulate Linde Malaysia on the roll-out of this next phase of innovation for hospitals in the northern region.
I look forward to seeing the positive progress in the medical fraternity and more importantly, that every level of society has access to high quality healthcare in the years to come.
Thank you.