George Town, Penang – The 1st Penang Medical Expo & Malaysian Healthcare Policy Conference (PMEX 2017) was launched today at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre.
Launching PMEX 2017 was the Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng; Penang State Executive Councillor for Health Dr. Afif Bahardin; Ashwin Gunasekeran, the CEO of PCEB; and Dr Mary Ann Harris, Chairperson of the Penang Centre of Medical Tourism.
Held from 10 to 12 November 2017 at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre, PMEX 2017 will have two major components – the Penang Medical Expo and the Malaysian Healthcare Policy Conference.
Malaysia is among the top medical destinations in the world, winning the “Destination of the Year” for the third time in a row at the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) Awards in 2017. Among other recognitions Malaysia has received is the top spot in the global ranking by InternationalLiving.com for best healthcare in the world.
The medical and healthcare industry of Penang contributes 60% of the Malaysian medical tourism revenue. With Penang boasting numerous world-class medical facilities, PMEX 2017 will showcase the best of the state’s healthcare offerings.
Furthermore, Penang’s position as a leading second tier destination for Business Events makes the state attractive to medical conference, congress and exhibition owners. Over the years, Penang has played host to prominent medical Business Events, both national and international events. In 2016, the medical Business Events accounted for 10.6% % of the national and international congresses in Penang with an estimated economic impact of RM 31 million, and 5.15% of the national and international corporate meetings with an estimated economic impact of RM 25 million.
“The Penang Medical Expo will serve as a platform for all interested parties from health-related sectors to communicate, exchange ideas, formulate solutions and create a healthcare network in Malaysia.
“The expo will see the participation of public and private hospitals in and outside of Penang, medical educational and research institutions, medical devices companies, academics, federal and state agencies, health care and wellness centres, non-governmental organisations, medical insurance firms or any other health-related organisations,” said Dr. Afif.
He further added that the “Malaysian Healthcare Policy Conference serves a major purpose on providing exposure to people on the importance of the local healthcare system. It is expected to gather at least 200 participants from Malaysia and around the region to review and to explore, thus to reform a better healthcare system for Malaysian.”
Among the featured speakers of the Malaysian Healthcare Policy Conference include Hitendra Joshi, Chairman of the Association of Malaysian Medical Industries; Simon Barraclough, Associate Professor at La Trobe University; Stephen Doughty, President & CEO of Penang Medical College; Professor Dr. Soo-Hwang Teo, Chief Executive of Cancer Research Malaysia.
Early bird registrations for the conference is now available until 30 Sept 2017 at RM 850 for full registration, RM 450 for day registration and RM 300 for student registration. The Expo is free and open to the public.
PMEX 2017 is organised by the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) in collaboration with the Penang Centre for Medical Tourism, Penang Institute, Invest Penang and Malaysia Medical Association Penang Branch.
More information on PMEX 2017 can be obtained from http://penangmedicalexpo.org. For media inquiries, kindly contact:
Yasmin Bathamanathan
Manager, Marketing Communications
Email: yasmin@pceb.my
Tel: +604 261 6161