Kuala Lumpur: Countries are using various marketing strategies to woo medical tourists, Malaysiahealthcare.com chief executive officer Suresh Ponnudurai said.

He said Malaysia, which ranked fifth in the world for medical tourism destinations, was taking measures to boost the industry through advertisements and standardising the treatment cost, besides offering medical and tourism packages.

"The medical authorities are upgrading services and facilities to meet the demands of the global market while ensuring the nation has a sufficient pool of medical expertise," he added.

In his paper on "Healthcare tourism strategies" at the two-day Healthcare Tourism Congress 2010 here yesterday, Suresh described Malaysia as a one-stop shop for medical tourists.

The country not only had world-class hospitals with state-of-the-art medical facilities but also non-medical expertise and facilities to meet patients' needs, he added.

The Health Ministry's policy and international relations division undersecretary, Choy Lup Bong, said the average annual growth in foreign patients was about 30 per cent and revenue per patient increased from RM360 in 1998 to RM800 in 2008.