Malaysian Medical Tourism Industry

The medical tourism industry has been growing drastically. But the challenge of targeting the right segment and maximising limited resources remains a challenge. The main purpose of this study was to develop a patient satisfaction model for the Malaysian medical tourism industry. This research utilised Mixed Methodology with greater emphasis on quantitative; phase 1 being qualitative and phase 2 being quantitative. Over 500 medical tourists all over Malaysia responded to the questionnaire. The main hypothesis was to identify how the various dimensions medical service quality, customer satisfaction, patient criteria, and hospital criteria would predict the medical tourists behavioural intention. Structural Equation Modelling was employed to perform the analysis; with the aid of AMOS software. The results indicated that there is a relationship between all variables with behavioural intention thus, answering the main objective of this research that is to identify a working model for the industry. The implication of this study suggests that improving customer satisfaction will increase patronage in the medical centres. Thus, reducing operation cost in such competitive environment.

Autorentext

Eugene Yeoh, is a consultant based in Malaysia and teaches part-time. He holds a basic degree in Biomedical Sciences and Chemistry and a PhD in Management. He has over 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry, recruitment consultancy, and business consultancy. His main areas of interest are medical, healthcare, and education.