SINGAPORE : The medical travel industry is growing at an impressive rate, and Singapore wants a bigger slice of the pie.

These are among key issues discussed at a four-day International Medical Travel Conference which opened in Singapore on Tuesday.

Myanmar national Hla Htay, along with his family members, has been coming to Singapore for medical treatment since 2004.

He says the quality of healthcare here is worth every dollar.

He says, "I come to Singapore because it is accessible, because of the quality of the service and facilities here, and because medical care is reliable."

Hlay Htay belongs to a new breed of international travellers who travel to several countries to seek medical services, ranging from basic health checkups to more complex specialist treatment.

So it is no surprise that industry players are saying the international medical travel sector is growing at a faster rate than before.

According to the Ministry of Health figures, Indonesians currently account for the majority of medical travellers here, making up 51.7 percent of the total number of medical travellers to Singapore last year, followed by patients from neighbouring Malaysia, who made up around 11 percent of the market last year.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) expects the industry in Asia to be worth S$6.8 billion by 2012, while the global market will reach S$92 billion in total.

By then, Singapore hopes to attract over 1 million foreign patients annually, nearly three times the current number.

According to STB, this is an ambition which stems from a more pragmatic reason.

Dr Jason Yap, Director, Healthcare Services, STB, says, "We need to maintain our services, and acquire the best technology possible. And that's just not possible with the population of only 4.5 million people. So that's why we need international patients.

"With international patients and a wide patient base, we are able sustain our services and acquire the appropriate technology at an affordable price, and to basically serve our own people very well."

It adds that with the leadership of the Health Ministry, the quality of medical services to Singaporeans will not be compromised.

Dr Yap says, "We'll make sure there are enough hospital beds for everyone."

Over the next few days, conference participants will meet in workshops and at site visits to discuss the challenges and potential for growth in medical travel.

Industry players like Raffles Hospital have welcomed this, describing it as a timely move. - CNA/ms