Legislator Concerns Indonesian Medical Tourism to Malaysia

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Irma Suryani, a member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) of the Republic of Indonesia (RI), highlighted the phenomenon of Indonesians choosing to seek treatment abroad, especially in Malaysia. She mentioned that most patients in Penang hospitals are Indonesian.

"Eighty percent of the hospital patients in Penang are Indonesian. I went there and saw for myself how good the service was: friendly and orderly, with affordable prices," said Irma during a working visit to Murni Teguh Memorial Hospital in Medan, Tuesday 27 January 2026.

She emphasized that Indonesian doctors are actually no less competitive than foreign doctors in terms of medical quality. However, she offered critical feedback on the friendliness and service ethics of medical personnel in Indonesia.

"I remind the doctors here that when serving patients, they should not be rude or indifferent," said Irma.

According to Irma, a humane and communicative service is one reason why people feel more comfortable seeking treatment in neighboring countries.

Apart from the service factor, Irma also highlighted the cost issue. She urged the government to carry out fiscal policy reforms, especially related to the high taxes on imported medical devices and medicines, which trigger high hospital rates in Indonesia.

She pushed for the price of medical devices to be reduced so that treatment costs would be cheaper.

Bangbang Buhari, the Deputy Director of Pure Medical Services at Teguh Memorial Hospital in Medan, explained that human resource needs are adjusted according to the workload. Evaluations are also carried out every year to determine whether additional human resources are needed.

"Every year, we hold internal training sessions to improve the competency of our staff. Regarding medical tourism, we need government support and request a policy exempting health and medical equipment from luxury goods tax," said Bangbang. (Misni Parjiati/Bambang MBKA)