KPJ Perdana Expansion To Boost Kelantan's Health Tourism Drive

KOTA BHARU, June 4 (Bernama) -- The development of a new building for KPJ Perdana Specialist Hospital here is expected to bolster Kelantan's efforts to become a regional health tourism hub by attracting more patients from Indonesia and neighbouring countries seeking quality medical treatment.

Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud said the project would not only enhance access to specialist healthcare services, but also support the state government's agenda of strengthening health tourism as a new source of economic growth.

He said the state government had highlighted the potential of Kelantan's healthcare, hospitality and family-friendly tourism sectors during a series of investment and tourism promotion programmes in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"The availability of modern, comprehensive and competitive healthcare facilities such as KPJ Perdana Specialist Hospital will be an important catalyst in attracting more health tourists from abroad, particularly from Indonesia and other countries in the region," he said at the launch of the hospital's new building project here today.

Mohd Nassuruddin said the development would also help ensure that Kelantan residents have greater access to specialist and comprehensive healthcare services without having to rely heavily on treatment facilities outside the state.

Meanwhile, KPJ Healthcare Bhd chairman Tan Sri Dr Ismail Bakar said the project is expected to increase the hospital's capacity to more than 300 beds by 2030, compared with about 150 currently.

The expansion will include three additional operating theatres, bringing the total to six, as well as more than 80 specialist clinics, a comprehensive oncology centre with radiotherapy facilities, an intensive care unit, dialysis services and day-care facilities.

Ismail said direct flights between Jakarta and Kota Bharu present significant opportunities for Kelantan to attract patients from Indonesia and southern Thailand.

"KPJ Perdana is ready to play an important role in supporting the state's health tourism growth through the provision of more comprehensive and quality specialist treatment," he said.

Operating since 2002, the hospital currently has 32 specialists across more than 10 disciplines and plans to expand its subspecialty services to meet increasingly complex healthcare needs.

-- BERNAMA