Medical Tourism

Tanaka Business School Imperial College London

An Insight into Malaysia’s Medical Tourism Industry from a New Entrant Perspective
by

Mr. Bhavin J. Shah

A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MBA degree and Diploma of Imperial College London

September 2008

SYNOPSIS

The overarching objective of this project is to provide an insight into Malaysia’s medical tourism industry. The study conducted offers assistance to a new upcoming hospital in Malaysia to understand the overall scenario of the market it wishes to enter in the near future. An external view using Porter’s Five Forces, an internal resource-based view and an industry snapshot using value network approach are evaluated to identify the pros and cons about the industry.

In the beginning, a brief about medical tourism is written along with the background to research, and project aims and objectives.

Next, a critical literature review is performed to explore previous research and to analyze merits and limitations of the theoretical frameworks. Interviews with managers and medical practitioners were arranged to gather primary data. Secondary data was also obtained from pertinent sources. The theoretical frameworks that form the academic basis for this study are used to analyze the data. The analyses are discussed along with other facts that were not captured by the framework or approach.

The analysis confirms that Malaysia’s medical tourism industry is attractive to enter and realize profits. There are a few strong players in the market, although, the overall market is still in the emerging phase. However, certain facts about the government, staffing, certifications, and lack of resources explain that the role players in the industry may need to work together to build up the industry.

Finally, a few recommendations have been noted to help the hospital make the right decisions.

I

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This dissertation was made possible due to the... [continues]

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