Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohd Shuhada Othman has said Malaysia could be a good healthcare destination for Bangladeshi patients.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain at the minister’s office at the Secretariat in the capital on Tuesday.

The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the health sector, according to a health ministry press release.

The Malaysian high commissioner said Malaysia had made significant progress in healthcare. He noted that Cambodian patients, who previously travelled to Thailand for treatment, were now increasingly choosing Malaysia.

He said Bangladeshi patients could also benefit from Malaysia’s healthcare facilities and receive assistance through the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).

Praising Malaysia’s advances in healthcare, Sakhawat Husain said Bangladesh had also made considerable progress in several areas.

He suggested arranging training opportunities in Malaysia for Bangladeshi specialist doctors in areas including kidney transplantation, liver transplantation and bone marrow transplantation.

The minister also proposed exploring opportunities for joint initiatives in different areas of healthcare and said a memorandum of understanding could be signed if necessary.

The Malaysian high commissioner said some Malaysian students were studying MBBS and other medical programmes in Bangladesh, as well as at Bangladesh Agricultural University.

The health minister assured him of all possible cooperation for Malaysian students when necessary.

Mohd Shuhada also said the costs of different medical services and medicines in Malaysia were displayed clearly and that treatment costs there were lower than in many other countries.

The high commissioner invited the health minister to visit Malaysia, and Sakhawat said he would make the visit at a convenient time.

Officials from the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, its Bangladeshi partners and senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were present at the meeting.