JOHOR BARU: Johor has emerged as an outlier within Malaysia’s medical tourism sector, posting a 15% increase in revenue in the first half of 2025, while overall national figures dropped 9% for the same period.
State health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon shared that the state’s healthcare sector is still thriving in its recovery phase, attracting attention, particularly from countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and China.
“From January to June last year, medical tourism revenue in Johor was RM42.08mil, which from January to June of this year is RM48.55mil,” he explained to reporters after launching Hinotori’s robotic-assisted surgical (RAS) procedures at Regency Specialist Hospital here yesterday.
In another perspective, Malaysia’s overall medical tourism receipts fell from RM654.64mil in the first half of 2024 to RM592.72 mil this year.
Ling indicated that the momentum of Johor’s upward trajectory in medical tourism revenue can be attributed to newly invested private hospitals, with upgraded facilities and services. He commented that Johor’s hospitals were able to keep pace with rapid developments in the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, which have influenced confidence in patients, and foreigners have expressed interest in visiting Johor for treatment and health screening.
He said that the state government was thinking ahead to the future healthcare demand from people living in Johor and those from abroad.
“The new Pasir Gudang Hospital will start soon, and a second Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA2) has also been approved,” he said.
He said several existing government hospitals, including Pontian, will have extension projects, and new health clinics are in the works.
“To strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in southern Johor, we are establishing a task force with the Health Ministry to address present issues and plan for the long-term,” he said.
Ling also mentioned that Johor’s population of 4.1 million is expected to increase by 10% to 20% by the year 2030, especially in southern Johor -The Star
