The Story of Sunway Medical Centre, Malaysia's Top Hospital and Preferred Choice for Indonesian Patients

Malaysia remains one of Southeast Asia’s primary destinations for medical tourism, especially for patients from Indonesia. The reasons vary, ranging from affordable costs to cultural similarities that facilitate the treatment process.

One of the leading private hospitals in Malaysia favoured by Indonesians is Sunway Medical Centre. During a recent media familiarisation visit, the facilities at Sun_way Medical Centre Sunway City were observed, including the Indonesia Patient Centre, designed specifically to assist Indonesian patients, and the advanced Outpatient Pharmacy Automation System (OPAS), a robotic system that automatically processes prescriptions and outpatient medication collection.

Furthermore, Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City is integrated into a larger ecosystem that includes Sunway Square Mall, Sunway University, an office complex, and the famous Sunway Lagoon theme park.

As a leading hospital, the Director of International Business Development for Sunway Healthcare Group, Vincent Gooi, explained that Sunway Medical Centre began operations in 1999. Following a decade of growth, the hospital completed the second phase of its hospital tower expansion (Tower B) as part of the SMC Project Expansion. Subsequently, Tower C began operations in 2016, followed by Towers D and E in 2023. Tower F, which is dedicated to paediatric services, officially commenced operations this year.

“In total, there are 1,100 beds, making Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City the largest private hospital in the region,” said Vincent during his presentation.

He noted that Sunway Medical Centre operates five hospitals across five regions in Malaysia: Sunway City (the flagship hospital), Velocity Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Damansara, and Ipoh. The management plans to open five more hospitals in the coming years, located in Putrajaya, Johor, Seremban, Kota Bharu, and Penang Island. “We currently have a hospital in mainland Penang, and following that, we will have another on Penang Island. This will bring our total to 10 hospitals,” he added.

Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City serves as the flagship hospital due to its specialised facilities, such as haemato-oncology (blood cancer speciality) for both adults and children. “Paediatric treatment is very specific because not many hospitals can perform such procedures. I can say that we are the only hospital capable of performing haemato-oncology procedures such as Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) stem cell transplants for children,” stated Vincent.

Additionally, the hospital can perform organ transplants, such as kidney transplants, although international patients are currently restricted from this procedure under regulations set by the Malaysian Ministry of Health.

Vincent added that Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City is the only private hospital in Malaysia accredited by three international bodies: Joint Commission International (2024), The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (2014), and the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (2013). It also holds accreditation from The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia.

In terms of rankings, Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City has ranked first among Malaysian hospitals in Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals for three consecutive years. Globally, the hospital was ranked 260th in 2024, 193rd in 2025, and 138th in 2026. “Our target for next year is to enter the top 100,” said Vincent.

During the same opportunity, he emphasised the hospital’s policy of constantly investing in the latest healthcare technology. This has led to partnerships with global healthcare partners such as the University of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, Royal Papathwork Hospital, Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Physicians, and Monash University Malaysia. “We are also the first private hospital in Malaysia to conduct first-phase human trials for new drug research. This is a unique feature compared to other hospitals,” Vincent noted.

Regarding services, Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City operates 28 service centres with over 4,000 staff. For children, there is a dedicated facility, Tower F. “Our CEO’s hope for this dedicated paediatric tower is based on our advantage here, with 56 paediatric specialists—the largest in Malaysia—including 28 subspecialists in areas such as paediatric oncology, neurology, and orthopaedics.”

Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City also includes Sunway Sanctuary, which serves the elderly. Two floors of Sunway Sanctuary are dedicated to the families of international patients, including those from Indonesia.

As mentioned, Sunway Medical Centre Sunway City is a preferred choice for Indonesian patients. One such patient is Robby Hadianto (40), a parent of a child from Pekanbaru, Riau…