Patients from within ASEAN and further afield will be able to come to Penang to seek a holistic and cost-effective healthcare once everything is in place, he said.

Speaking at the "Penang Dialogue - Penang’s Healthcare Sector: Strategies, Synergies and Opportunities” at the Tanglin Club in Singapore today, Lim said Penang's dominant role in the medical tourism industry in Malaysia is backed up by figures.

"Out of Malaysia's total medical tourism receipts of RM288 million in 2009, Penang contributed RM164 million or 57%. In 2010, this increases to RM 218 million or 66% of the total RM336 million national medical tourism receipts," he said.

Lim added that in 2010 the Hotel Resort Insider, named Malaysia as one of the top five medical tourism destinations in the world.

"The healthcare services in Malaysia comprises of a full and extended range of secondary and tertiary medical specialities that are of equal standards, but comparatively cheaper than in the United States of America, Europe and other developed nations," he said.

"Penang has some seven speciality hospitals, which formed the Penang Health Association to jointly promote medical tourism in Penang," Lim said adding that these hospitals portray a distinct uniqueness of commonality in purpose.

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