Chapel Hill, NC — 14 April 2009: Healthy Travel Media and the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) jointly announce the launch of the Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia Edition, to be published in English for international distribution. The Malaysia Edition will be formally launched on 21 July at the APHM/ASQua/ISQua Conference and Exhibition 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Produced in collaboration with Malaysia's Tourism Ministry and supported by hospitals and related private organizations, the 240-page guidebook will feature 16 pages of color inserts and offer an in-depth overview of Malaysia’s 20+ international hospitals, selected health travel agents, nearby recovery and guest accommodations, and area travel information.

"Located centrally between Singapore and Thailand and with some of the best healthcare in Asia, Malaysia receives visitors from more than 30 countries throughout the region and the world,” says Healthy Travel Media CEO Josef Woodman. “Malaysia’s prices for procedures are on par with popular medical travel destinations such as India and Thailand, and its favorable climate and English-speaking culture attracts medical travelers from the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, and Australia.”

Dato' Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, is expected to formally launch the Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia Edition, to further emphasize the importance of medical travel to Malaysia’s economic growth plans.

"Malaysia's quality healthcare system ranks among the best in Asia,” says Dato’ Dr. Jacob Thomas, President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia. “Value-conscious patients will find costs here among the lowest of any international medical travel destination.”

Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia Edition will be available in bookstores and online retail channels throughout the world. The eBook edition will be available through lulu.com. Booksellers wishing to carry the Malaysia Edition should contact Publisher’s Group West.

Current APHM members participating in the Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia Edition include: Gleneagles Intan Medical Center, Gleneagles Medical Center Penang, Institut Jantung Negara (National Heart Institute), KPJ Healthcare Group, NCI Cancer Hospital and Specialist Clinics, Pantai Hospital Group, Penang Adventist Hospital, Prince Court Medical Center, Sime Darby Medical Center Subang Jaya and Sunway Medical Center.

About the Association of Private Hospitals
Established in 1972, APHM currently represents more than 100 private hospitals and medical clinics approved and licensed by Malaysia's Ministry of Health. Of those, more than 30 private hospitals are directly involved in medical tourism. Among APHM's objectives is the delivery of a high standard of healthcare to the public by coordinating activities of private hospitals and promoting healthcare services within Malaysia.

About Healthy Travel Media
Healthy Travel Media, an independent imprint based in Chapel Hill, NC, publishes books, eBooks, and Web-based consumer reference information on medical tourism and wellness travel. Patients Beyond Borders is available at Amazon and bookstores everywhere. The Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia Edition is one of a series of in-country editions of the same name.