Sunway Medical Centre Penang serves as group's premier healthcare facility in northern region

SEBERANG JAYA: The opening of the Sunway Medical Centre Penang today complements the Health Ministry's efforts to serve the healthcare needs of Penangites, by offering access to specialised diagnostic and medical treatment options such as radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery.

Welcoming the initiative, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa hoped the availability of these services would lead to improved access and a reduction in patient waiting times.

"At the Health Ministry, and indeed the wider healthcare landscape of Malaysia, health reform transcends mere betterment of medical treatment.

"We aim for a holistic transformation of the entire healthcare ecosystem to ensure better working conditions for our health workers, improved healthcare accessibility, a resolute focus on preventive care, and an embracing of the digital revolution.

"As such, the Health Ministry is continuously taking steps to cultivate effective public-private collaborations, as this will reduce workload imbalance, optimise the use of resources between the public and private sectors and improve access to health care services, including services at the community level," she said in her speech at the opening of the Sunway Medical Centre Penang here today.

Present were Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah and Sunway Group deputy executive chairman Tan Sri Razman M Hashim.

The Sunway Medical Centre Penang is the latest addition to Sunway Healthcare Group's network of hospitals.

The first phase of the medical centre, built at a cost of RM335 million, has 200 beds.

The second phase, at a cost of RM96 million, is expected to see an additional 130 beds and is set for completion in the middle of next year.

Elaborating, Dr Zaliha said Penang has emerged as a regional destination for healthcare travel, with its accessibility and affordable world-class quality healthcare.

Last year, Penang welcomed over 217,000 healthcare travellers, generating more than RM400 million in healthcare travel (HT) revenue, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of Malaysia's total.

"Penang's healthcare industry has experienced a remarkable average growth rate of 16 per cent between 2015 and 2019, with Indonesia being a key contributor. As the industry continues its recovery, we have witnessed an encouraging surge in Penang's healthcare sector.

"In the first five months of this year, Penang has already generated over RM300 million in healthcare traveller (HT) revenue, at par with its achievement in 2019, signaling a positive recovery for the state.

"This is truly an impressive and outstanding achievement emphasising Penang's resilience and positioning it for sustained growth as one of Malaysia's healthcare travel hubs.

"Sunway Medical Centre's introduction in Penang signifies a new milestone, elevating the state's healthcare travel offerings to unprecedented levels, especially as a part of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)'s esteemed hospital membership programme. Together with MHTC, Sunway Medical Centre Penang will enhance the state's standing in the healthcare travel industry, solidifying Penang's reputation as a preferred destination for exceptional medical services," she added.

Meanwhile, Cheah said the opening of the Sunway Medical Centre Penang further underscored Sunway's commitment to the people of this state.

He said Sunway's presence here was modelled along the lines of its successful Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's first integrated green city.

"Last year, we invested RM500 million to double the retail space at Sunway Carnival Mall to one million square feet.

The expansion is estimated to add 2,000 new jobs and generate significant economic and social multiplier effects for the community.

"Sunway Medical Centre Penang is the latest addition to our integrated development here, where more than 600 healthcare professionals will work hand-in-hand to deliver excellent patient care," he said.