Six recipients honoured at inaugural medical tourism excellence awards
KUCHING, 13 October 2026: Six individuals and organisations were named recipients of the inaugural Borneo Global MediTourism Medical Tourism Excellence Awards.
The recipients were recognised for their contributions to advancing healthcare standards, strengthening regional medical services, promoting medical tourism and improving cross-border connectivity.
They were Dr Kenny Yeap Kim Pey for raising healthcare standards and expanding access to sub-specialty services across East Malaysia; Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh for his leadership in Malaysia’s private hospital sector and support for hospitals serving patients from Kalimantan and Southeast Asia; and Datu Hii Chang Kee for making health tourism a key pillar of the Sarawak Tourism Master Plan 2020–2035 and establishing the Sarawak Medical Tourism Committee.
Other recipients were Innoquest Pathology, recognised for its dual CAP and MS ISO 15189 accreditation and digital telepathology network; Sarawak Media Group (TVS), for promoting Kuching as a medical tourism destination through its nationwide broadcast platform; and AirBorneo, for strengthening regional air connectivity and linking remote communities to essential tertiary medical care.
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the awards, held in conjunction with the Borneo Global MediTourism Congress and Expo (BGMT) 2026, marked an important step towards establishing a dedicated platform to recognise achievements in the medical tourism industry.
Speaking at the Welcome Gala Dinner and Medical Tourism Excellence Awards at the Waterfront Hotel here last night, he said the industry deserved dedicated recognition because it brought together healthcare, tourism, hospitality, technology and international partnerships.
“Medical tourism sits at the intersection of many industries. It deserves its own platform. It deserves its own conversation. And I believe it also deserves its own recognition,” he said.
Abdul Karim congratulated the six award recipients and encouraged other industry players to continue pursuing innovation and excellence, saying that their contributions could help shape the sector’s future.
“Your recognition tonight is not only about what you have achieved. It is also about what your achievements represent.
“You represent the people who believe that healthcare can be better. You represent the people who believe that patients deserve the best possible experience. You represent the people who believe that collaboration creates stronger outcomes. And you represent the people who are helping to shape the future of medical tourism. I hope you will accept these awards not only as recognition, but also as encouragement to continue your journey,” he said.
Abdul Karim expressed hope that the awards would grow in stature in the coming years, with more categories, nominees, participating countries and industries.
“More importantly, the awards should help raise standards in medical tourism by encouraging excellence, innovation, collaboration and investment, while strengthening Sarawak and Borneo’s position on the global medical tourism map,” he said.
Earlier, Sarawak Tourism Federation president and BGMT organising chairperson Audry Wan Ullok said the awards aimed to promote higher standards, stronger partnerships and a more competitive medical tourism industry.
She said the six award categories recognised different aspects of the industry, including leadership, healthcare excellence, innovation, technology, and cross-border collaboration.
"We established these awards because we believe that excellence deserves to be recognised, leadership deserves to be celebrated, and meaningful contributions deserve to be remembered. More importantly, recognition can inspire others to do better.
"Our intention is for the BGMT Medical Tourism Excellence Awards to become more than a presentation of trophies. We want these awards to represent a commitment to higher standards, stronger partnerships and a more competitive medical tourism industry for Sarawak, Malaysia and the wider region,” she said.
BGMT 2026 brings together healthcare and tourism stakeholders through conference sessions, exhibitions and business-to-business engagements, with the awards complementing these activities by highlighting industry achievements.
