‘Foreigners can seek medical treatment in S’wak’
KUCHING: It would not be a problem if foreigners, including those from neighbouring Indonesia, wished to seek medical treatment in Sarawak, said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The state Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts said this reflected the efforts to enhance health tourism through the products available in the state.
“I see it as a tourism opportunity. This also shows that Indonesia has improved its economy, where their citizens are able to seek medical treatments in another country,” Abdul Karim told reporters when met after performing the flag-off for the ‘Teacher’s Day Expedition’ at the Education Department Sarawak headquarters here yesterday.
Organised by Sarawak Teacher Bikers Club, the programme was run in connection with the statelevel Teacher’s Day celebration.
Abdul Karim, who is also Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurs Development, was asked to comment on Indonesia President Joko Widodo’s statement describing Indonesians seeking treatment abroad as if they did not trust the capability of the republic’s health institution.
In this regard, Abdul Karim recalled Jokowi having mentioned that Normah Medical Specialist Centre in Kuching had received about 1,000 Indonesians seeking medical treatment since the reopening of the SarawakIndonesia border.
“I hope that this would not be big matter. It’s more or less travelling (for medical treatments), and it’s impossible for me to advise people not to visit abroad.
“Every one of us, when our parents are sick, we would want to provide the best for them.
“Maybe that’s one of the reasons why in Kuching, many hospitals are being developed, especially private hospitals.
“Not only that, many Indonesians who can afford it have also travelled to Singapore to seek medical treatments; it is already a normal thing. The same goes for Malaysians, those who can afford it, to obtain treatments in India, Singapore and Australia,” he added.
Abdul Karim also stressed that although there were many Indonesians seeking medical and healthcare services in Sarawak, this did not mean that the healthcare facilities in Indonesia were not satisfactory.
“It could be that their citizens live nearby the state’s border like Pontianak, Pemangkat and Singkawang,” he said, adding that in pre-Covid-19 period in 2019, the health tourism in Sarawak registered a total of 47,000 patients, out of whom 41,000 were Indonesian citizens.