Poised to be the first healthcare and wellness township in Southeast Asia, KL Wellness City has grand plans and a strong vision behind what many are expecting to be the leading location for medical tourism not only locally, but also internationally.
On May 2, KL Wellness City launched KL International Hospital (KLIH), which is expected to be completed by the end of next year with its doors opening in 2026. The tertiary hospital is the focal point of the township, with the other ancillary infrastructures being built around it on KL Wellness City’s 10.7ha of land in Bukit Jalil.
Speaking to theSun, KL Wellness City branding, sales and marketing director Datuk Seri Dr Vincent Tiew revealed a fraction of the plans behind the township, particularly its offerings and to whom KL Wellness City is targeting, especially with its upcoming roadshow in Kuantan and Johor.
Golden opportunity for specialists
Flanking KLIH is the Nobel Healthcare Park, a medical and wellness suite complex that consists of several integral components that not only primarily services KLIH, but also each other.
The first is the medical suites, which was conceived by KL Wellness City with a very different idea compared to other hospital groups, as medical practitioners are allowed to purchase or invest into the medical clinics in the suite.
“Designed carefully by our hospital team, medical specialists have a chance to own the clinic, which is advantageous as it allows them to build a business legacy.
“They can employ other doctors to work with or for them. Even if the owner retires, the clinic will still make money. On the investment side, outstation doctors may not want to come to KL to practise. Investing in a clinic is just like buying a land or a condo, where they can rent it out but the ‘tenants’ will be other doctors,” Tiew said.
According to him, no one else is doing medical suites in Malaysia that are catered for specialist doctors, to own, run, operate and use it like a clinic. He also points out that medical suites are different from general practitioner doctors who open and run their own clinics.
“Specialist doctors need a lot of equipment, support and services from hospitals. That is why they are in the hospital, renting the clinic because no hospital sells them the clinic. Here, we allow them to buy and own, they become the boss.”
KL Wellness City’s approach is similar to business models in Hong Kong and Singapore. Currently over 75% of the units have been snapped up. Tiew says that after this, there may be no other chance of any group doing it again.
Hospitality beside a hospital
Connected via a direct link bridge to KLIH is the Nobel Healthcare Park’s wellness suites. Designed in compliance with the Health Ministry’s specifications and guidelines for hospital and residences, Tiew says that KL Wellness City’s wellness suites are “like hotel rooms but better”.
He explains that the decision to place it right beside the tertiary hospital was a no-brainer.
“As a medical tourism hospital, a lot of our patients will be from outstation and overseas. If a patient comes here, their family members will definitely come along. Guess where they will stay? In the wellness suites next door.”
The living quarters invalidates any need for the family of patients to live far away, outside KL Wellness City. Not only that, patients can be easily, conveniently and quickly moved from KLIH to a suite to recuperate from a surgery”.
All the units in the wellness suites, similar to the medical suites, are open for people to buy and invest in. Tiew says these units can be run like an Airbnb, or they can also be passed to KL Wellness City.
“Our hospitality team will run it and we will do profit-sharing with the owner.”
Interested parties should take note of KL Wellness City’s private preview that will take place this and next weekend.
“For the preview, we will also showcase the retail suites or shop lots for sale on the ground floor. On top of the units is a hospital and a few hundred clinics. It is not often that people have a chance to buy shop lots next to a high end hospital.
“Feel free to drop by, preview, ask and explore what the choices are. It is not often that people have a chance to buy shop lots next to a high end hospital,” said Tiew.
KL Wellness City’s first stop for its private preview roadshow will be in Johor on May 19, while its second stop will take place in Kuantan from May 24 to 25.
For more information or to RSVP, contact 010-4066686 via Whatsapp.
