Page 139 – AMCHAM

MALAYSIA, 16 February 2023 – Malaysia has debuted its first–of–its-kind Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme, announcing the four (4) shortlisted finalists for the programme, namely National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara), Island Hospital, Mahkota Medical Centre and Subang Jaya Medical Centre. This represents a significant step forward for Malaysia’s healthcare industry in achieving its goal of providing the Best Malaysia Healthcare Travel Experience by 2025.

The shortlisted finalists were carefully selected through an extensive and rigorous qualifying process in 2022 that involved data analysis and on-site assessments. Further to this, the finalists are advancing into the next phase of the programme, the Acceleration Period, which will continuously assess their growth and development against best practices and benchmarks in medical and service excellence, as well as international branding, over a three-year period.

Spearheaded by Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), the programme has witnessed Malaysia’s top hospitals increasing their commitment and efforts to raise the bar of excellence in delivering exceptional end–to-end services to their patients, all with the goal of reinforcing Malaysia’s position as a safe and trusted destination for top-notch healthcare services, and elevating excellence in medical and service offerings. This will raise Malaysia Healthcare‘s profile as home to globally recognised healthcare icons.

“The progress we have witnessed today with the Flagship programme is a testament to the drive and focus of becoming the future torchbearer for Malaysia Healthcare, not only locally but also internationally, significantly contributing to the country’s export service. I trust that the Flagship programme will promote innovation and excellence in medical services and bring us closer to achieving a more resilient healthcare system for the country and establish Malaysia Healthcare as a world–renowned and credible global healthcare brand,” said Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, Minister of Health Malaysia.

“Fully endorsed by the Government, the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme is aimed at propelling the private healthcare sector into a future–forward paradigm. The outcome of this concerted effort between the public and private industry players will result in elevated private healthcare services to deliver seamless end-to-end patient experiences anchored upon outcome-based medical excellence, service excellence best practices and international branding,” explained Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).

Malaysia, a popular global destination for healthcare travellers, has won numerous awards, including the coveted “Destination of the Year” title by UK-based healthcare travel authority International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) numerous times in recent years. The country’s solid reputation as a destination for travel and healthcare attracted 1.06 million 1European tourists and 1.22 million 2healthcare travellers in 2019 alone. These numbers are expected to ramp up as countries across the world move towards endemicity.

MHTC is optimistic that the programme will fast–track the healthcare travel industry’s recovery and growth. Building upon the positive growth recorded in 2022 – recording more than RM1.3 billion Healthcare Traveller (HT) revenue, reaching 76% of its pre-pandemic performance of RM1.7 billion in 2019, MHTC is intensifying its efforts to forge industry sustainability and resilience to further enhance Malaysia Healthcare’s offerings, providing the best healthcare to the healthcare travellers.

“The programme will also play a catalytic role in expediting international recognition of the hospitals in Malaysia. With the commitment and active participation of the hospitals in delivering medical excellence and service excellence towards attaining international branding, we look forward to further cementing our strengths and carving a niche in clinical research while expanding Malaysia Healthcare’s market presence,” added Mohd Daud.

The Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme is a collaborative effort between MHTC and global medical accreditation bodies IQVIA and Joint Commission International (JCI). IQVIA is a global leader in advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services for the life sciences industry, while JCI is an accreditation body that works to improve patient safety and healthcare quality in the international community through education, publications, advisory services, and international accreditation and certification.

“The excellent medical care and services that local and international patients can receive from these hospitals, including niche treatments in areas like cardiology, oncology, fertility, orthopaedics, neurology and aesthetics, have undoubtedly led to these hospitals receiving this accreditation,” said Jonathan Roberts, IQVIA’s General Manager for Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

“It is my great hope that these flagship medical tourism hospitals will serve as a model for other healthcare facilities wishing to continue their quality and patient safety journey through the adoption of both medical and service excellence. This journey includes compliance with evidence-based standards, international accreditation and certification, and adhering to leading practices, while continuously improving the end–to-end patient experience,” said Jean Courtney, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of JCI.

On 17 March, AMCHAM together with the U.S. Commercial Service Malaysia, Clean Edge Asia and the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur in partnership with ExxonMobil held the U.S. – Malaysia Clean Tech Forum 2023. Under the theme of “Shared Pathways to a Clean Economy”, this forum served as a platform for U.S. and Malaysian businesses, government, and organizations to explore how the new technologies, existing initiatives, and policies can have in supporting a cleaner and greener economy for everyone.

We were delighted to have with us YB Tuan Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC), who made time from his busy schedule to deliver his keynote address, speaking about the initiatives from the Malaysian government towards transitioning the nation towards a greener economy.

The first panel discussion of the day was moderated by Siobhan Das, CEO of AMCHAM and the panelists were Jye Yng Voon, Senior Partner, ERM Sustainability Consultancy; Datin Seri Sunita Rajakumar, Chairperson, Climate Governance Malaysia; John Ahn, U.S. EXIM, Senior Business Development Representative; Sudhir Bhassu, Senior Director, Strategic Operations -Sustainability, Western Digital; and Jeffrey Ng, Head of Malaysian Research and Strategy, JP Morgan. This session set the stage for the subject of the day as each of the guest speakers shared their organization’s respective initiatives they had put into place, the challenges faced and the lessons learnt in achieving the shared goal of transitioning towards a more sustainable business.

Following the first panel session, attendees were divided into two breakout sessions – Carbon Management and Clean Energy Transition where they proceeded to take a deep dive into immediate and future pathways that would enable them in these two areas.

The discussion on Carbon Management looked into the technological side of tracking, managing, and promoting reduced GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions and featured Yeong Chuan “YC” Lim, President Malaysia & Singapore, Honeywell; Priya Prasad, Attorney-Advisor, CLDP; Justin Oettimer, Asia Pacific Business Development Vice President, ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. Victoria Yue, Sr. Int’l Trade Specialist, Climate Mitigation at U.S. International Trade Administration, served as the moderator.

The Clean Energy Transition panel discussion provided perspectives on solutions for the generation and integration of clean energy resources. This session was moderated by Christian Herman, International Trade Specialist: Renewables, U.S. International Trade Administration and featured Tanvi Madhusudanan, USTDA, Country Manager Indo-Pacific Region; Krishnakumar PG (KK), Regional Director for Gas Power, GE; Dato’ P’ng Soo Hong, VP & Managing Director of First Solar Malaysia; and Ir. Dr. Mohd Fadzil Mohd Siam, Head – Strategy & Sustainability, Tenaga Nasional Berhad; and Dr. Chan Zhe Phak, Head Facilities, CCS, Upstream, PETRONAS.

Special thanks to all our guest speakers and panelists for making this forum a success and we hope all who attended had a lot to take away and put into action.

INDIA, March 13, 2023 — FedEx has announced plans to open its first Advanced Capability Community (ACC) in Hyderabad, India in 2023. The opening is part of a broader multi-year initiative to strengthen the recruitment and development of the company’s diverse workforce all around the world and build a more efficient and agile organization to enhance how we deliver for our customers.

FedEx plans to set up ACCs in different parts of the world in the future. Locations will be selected based on business needs and access to highly skilled talent pools. Each community is planned to be staffed by full-time FedEx team members across many functional areas who will provide shared services to support the technological and digital requirements of the entire FedEx enterprise. The digital innovation these communities will provide will enable the company to provide even greater value in the global supply chain ecosystem.

The India government’s focus on providing world-class infrastructure to build a technology-driven and knowledge-based economy makes the country an ideal location for the first ACC. The first ACC will be situated in Hyderabad and is anticipated to launch in the second half of 2023. The state of Telangana and its capital, Hyderabad, has been focusing on its engineering and digital enterprise talent pool to support international organizations that want to set up a presence here.

“FedEx is creating the world’s most flexible, efficient, and intelligent supply chain for our customers,” said Raj Subramaniam, FedEx Corp. president and chief executive officer. “The opening of our first Advanced Capability Community in India, a critical market for FedEx, will enable us to be faster, more flexible, and secure as we innovate digitally. This move supports our long-term vision to grow our Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa business as well as provide opportunities to develop technology for the benefit of our global customers.”

The IGB International School Scholarship for the August 2023 intake is open for application. Students who are enrolling for Grades 6 to Grade 11 are welcome to apply! The application must be submitted by 31 March 2023.

Be part of the IB World School which provides a dynamic, innovative, and inclusive learning environment where students are challenged to excel in both their learning and personal growth.

IGB International School having 35 student nationalities and 90% of expat IB experienced teachers is the only complete 4 IB continuum programme in Malaysia with state-of-the-art facilities. In 2022, our Diploma Programme students scored an average of 40 points which is above the world average points of 32.

To find out more, register for your interest at: https://forms.gle/averXK7M94BqLVL17

The International School of Kuala Lumpur recently hosted the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asia Schools (IASAS) Swimming Championships and the IASAS Cultural Convention.

Established in 1982, the IASAS involves six international schools in Southeast Asia and is recognized as one of the world’s premier international school activities and athletics conferences. Hosting the IASAS is more than just showcasing immense talent; it is also an opportunity to foster cultural exchange and understanding between schools.

Whether out on the pool or under the illuminating stage light, the events allowed students to grow their appreciation of each other’s culture and develop a shared appreciation of different schools’ unique customs, traditions, and experiences.

This April, AMCHAM will be organizing a number of workshops in KL and Penang centered around communication. From upskilling your presentation skills to developing a corporate video, there’s sure to be something for everyone.

These workshops will be conducted by Angela Cheung, Video Consultant, Corporate Trainer, ex-Disney/Fremantle/MTV. Angela has won awards and plaudits as a coach, media executive, and speaker. She’s worked with some of the biggest names including Disney, Alibaba, Manulife, BBC, Prudential, Cathay Pacific, Fremantle Media and has presented at top universities and events.

More information can be found on each of the individual event pages, click the titles to view more details and register today!

For further information, please contact the AMCHAM Events team at [email protected].

Kuala Lumpur