By DayakDaily Team
MIRI, July 24: Miri has significant potential to emerge as a healthcare hub for northern Sarawak and the surrounding region, driven by its strategic location near Brunei Darussalam, expanding medical expertise and strong healthcare infrastructure.
Deputy Minister for Tourism Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew said the city is well positioned to capitalise on the growing demand for cross-border healthcare services, particularly from neighbouring Brunei, as Sarawak continues to strengthen its standing as a regional medical tourism destination.
According to Ting, Sarawak’s commitment to enhancing healthcare service standards, developing clinical expertise and fostering professional collaboration has contributed to the growth of its medical tourism sector.
Citing data from the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), he said Sarawak welcomed more than 104,000 medical tourists in 2025, a 26.16 per cent increase from the previous year, with Indonesia remaining the State’s largest source market.
“This growth reflects increasing confidence in Sarawak’s healthcare professionals, medical facilities and healthcare ecosystem,” he said when officiating at the Wound and Stoma Care Symposium at the Imperial Palace Hotel here today as reported by Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas).
Ting added that Tourism Malaysia and the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) have identified medical tourism as one of Miri’s key growth segments, particularly in attracting patients from Brunei.
However, he stressed that the success of the medical tourism industry should not be measured solely by patient numbers or economic returns, but also by the quality, safety and compassion demonstrated in healthcare delivery.
“Technology is only effective when combined with clinical judgment, professional experience and a human touch. Wound and stoma care is not merely about treating patients’ physical conditions, but about restoring their confidence, dignity and quality of life,” he said.
He noted that symposiums such as this provide an important platform for knowledge-sharing, enhancing the competencies of healthcare professionals and encouraging collaboration among medical practitioners, ultimately raising standards of wound and stoma care in Sarawak.
The two-day symposium, organised by Miri Hospital, brought together more than 150 doctors, nurses, therapists, researchers and healthcare practitioners from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines to discuss the latest developments in chronic wound treatment, stoma care and clinical innovation.
Participants also attended hands-on training sessions at eight skills stations focusing on wound care techniques, vascular assessment, the use of modern dressings, stoma management and fistula care to strengthen evidence-based clinical practice.
Also present were Miri Hospital deputy director Dr Francis Heng Eng Khai, head of the hospital’s Rehabilitation Department Dr Tew Siew Peng, consultant colorectal surgeon Kenneth Voon, Northern Sarawak Wound and Stoma Care Symposium and Workshop 2026 chairperson Dr Nadiya Hamzah, chief nursing supervisor Rose Mary Jok and representative of the hospital’s chief assistant medical officer, Kennedy Edwin Ganai. — DayakDaily
