TAWAU: Tawau has strong potential to emerge as a medical tourism hub in Borneo, thanks to its strategic location bordering Indonesia and its proximity to Kalimantan, the future administrative capital of the country.
Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, said Tawau could serve not only as a gateway for trade and investment but also as a promising destination for medical tourism.
“We are in a position to offer high-quality medical treatment at competitive costs, which in turn can stimulate the local economy,” he told reporters after officiating the launch of the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Services at KMI Tawau Medical Centre on Saturday.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});The event also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between KMI Tawau Medical Centre and Rusleeya Healthcare Sdn. Bhd.
The MoU was signed by KMI Tawau General Manager Zainulalim Samsudin and Rusleeya Healthcare Medical Director Dr Rusli Rolon.
The services under the partnership will include comprehensive health screenings for workers and compliance with occupational safety and health regulations in Malaysia.
Nizam said the strategic collaboration between the two companies is expected to strengthen the occupational health sector and pave the way for expanding medical tourism in the region.
“In addition to improving the quality of healthcare for local workers, we believe there is great potential to attract international patients, especially from Kalimantan and other parts of Southeast Asia,” he said.
He said the partnership combines the expertise of both organisations and could serve as a high-impact model of private sector collaboration in providing inclusive, modern, and tourism-oriented healthcare services.
Nizam expressed confidence that such initiatives could elevate Tawau into one of the leading health destinations in the Borneo region.
He called for similar partnerships to be expanded across other areas in Sabah and the Borneo region to ensure the benefits of the private healthcare sector are more widely felt, while simultaneously positioning Tawau as a preferred centre for medical treatment in the region.
For the record, KMI Tawau Medical Centre is part of the renowned KMI Healthcare network, known for its modern facilities and high-quality services.
The centre will now collaborate with Rusleeya Healthcare, a specialist provider of mobile audiometry and spirometry testing, to deliver comprehensive and accessible OSH services.
