The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council: Celebrating World Hepatitis Day With New Hope

The good news is that when caught at an earlier stage, it can be treated fairly easily. Malaysia has been making waves on the Hepatitis C treatment front since 2017, chalking up numerous firsts over the years and establishing itself as a prominent force in the battle against the disease.

In 2021, the country made headlines as the first in the world to grant conditional registration for a new Hepatitis C treatment, which was a culmination of a South-South collaboration that includes the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), Malaysian pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga Berhad, not-for-profit research and development organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Egyptian pharmaceutical company Pharco, and non-governmental organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Today, it is offering Hepatitis C patients a treatment option with a cure rate of 97% at a significantly lower cost.

In supporting the World Health Organization's (WHO) mission to eliminate this disease as a public health concern, the country has been stepping up its efforts to increase global awareness of Hepatitis C with the theme 'Test, Treat, Cure'. To date, there are numerous private healthcare establishments in Malaysia under the Treatment Hub programme specifically for the treatment of Hepatitis C. Patients are therefore assured of easy accessibility to the treatment, in addition to the competitive treatment cost and high success rates.

With Malaysia Healthcare, getting screened and treated for Hepatitis C has never been more smooth-sailing. If the disease is caught early enough, treatment can be an outpatient process where patients just need to consume the necessary medication for an approximate duration of 12-24 weeks.

"Hepatitis C treatment is available in Malaysia for all. In conjunction with World Hepatitis Day, Malaysia Healthcare is excited to take this opportunity to welcome healthcare travellers from around the world to come and take advantage of our first-in-the-world capabilities to 'Test, Treat and Cure' them. Patients will be able to explore the beauty of Malaysia while undergoing treatment under the watchful eye of our specialists," said Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).

All healthcare travellers heading over to Malaysia can have peace of mind knowing that they are in good hands. Thanks to its attention to providing high quality, safe, affordable, friendly and seamless healthcare experience for all, the country has gained a solid reputation as a trusted healthcare destination, a feat that has seen it garner the coveted Destination of the Year award by the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) four times: from 2015-2017 and again in 2020.

More recently, the appointment of the country's Minister of Health, The Honourable Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, as one of the five Vice Presidents of the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) further shone the spotlight on the country's healthcare prowess.

"The appointment of Mr. Khairy to the WHA indirectly allows Malaysia to showcase our world-class healthcare system to the world. One of the things that he touched on was the importance of building resilient healthcare systems that are able to facilitate the holistic wellbeing of people. This is something that Malaysia has been working tirelessly on, especially throughout the pandemic, which has further enhanced the robustness of our healthcare. We were one of the first countries in the world to establish a medical travel bubble, which allowed Malaysia Healthcare to help over 900 international patients seeking urgent medical treatments in a safe and efficient manner. We continue to follow strict protocols today to ensure that both the wellbeing of the patients and the people are properly safeguarded," said Mr. Daud.

Malaysia Healthcare is a collaborative effort that also includes 77 globally accredited member hospitals as part of its ecosystem. This reinforces its goal to ascertain that all healthcare travellers to the country are able to experience a comprehensive and cohesive healthcare journey here.

"Come embark on a healthcare journey with us and let us curate a seamless experience so that you are assured of quality healthcare for your peace of mind while enjoying the myriad of attractions that Malaysia has to offer," concluded Mr. Daud.

For more information on Malaysia Healthcare and its services, please visit https://malaysiahealthcare.org/.

Hashtag: #TheMalaysiaHealthcareTravelCouncil

About The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency that has been entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country's healthcare travel scene. Founded in 2009, MHTC works to streamline industry players and service providers in facilitating and growing Malaysia's healthcare travel industry under the brand "Malaysia Healthcare" with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination.