Public health concerns and implications of medical tourism in Penang

Abstract

Medical tourism is a growing industry in Malaysia, but it is not without its own public health implications. Despite the growing importance of medical travel, little is known of its impact, especially in relation to the public health concerns of the receiving countries. This paper aims to explore the various public health concerns and issues faced by Penang, a popular destination for medical tourism in South East Asia (S.E.A). It also highlights the changes on socio demographics in certain residential areas which cater to medical tourists, the risk of importing undetected infectious diseases like TB through medical tourists, and the strain on the public health system due to limited resources left for local patients. This paper also highlights the future direction in which the medical tourism should be regulated in order to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases (e.g. TB) across borders.