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THE Mahkota Medical Group, which has a hospital in Malacca and will soon open one in Johor, is eyeing Sabah and Sarawak next."We have our radar screen on other towns, especially those in Sabah and Sarawak. We would like to go where there is no heavy concentration of private hospitals," Mahkota Medical Centre Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Francis Lim told Business Times in an interview."We have taken a look at some sites, (but) nothing has been decided," he said."We have to look at our shareholders' interest. We do not want to rush into it." Lim said that the group may consider accepting management contracts without an equity stake.Given that Malaysia is pushing for medical tourism to bring in foreign exchange, Lim hopes that the tax incentives given to those in Nusajaya, Johor, and set-ups in the Port Dickson Wellness Zone in Negri Sembilan will be extended to all private hospitals. "Healthcare requires heavy investment," he said.The Mahkota Medical Centre in Malacca started operations in 1994 under the Lion Group.Lion, which restructured and sold its non-core businesses during the 1997/98 financial crisis, sold the hospital in September 2001.The Mahkota Medical Group is now owned by Health Management International Ltd of Singapore (48.95 per cent), Bumiputera group Maju Medik Sdn Bhd (38.42 per cent) and 12.36 per cent by doctors located all over Malaysia. Read more
(New Straits Times 21-3-2008)
