HMI Medical targets more overseas patients with robotic surgery push

It’s aiming at middle- to upper-income patients who want advanced procedures.

Health Management International Pte Ltd. (HMI Medical) expects robotic-assisted surgery to lift foreign-patient arrivals in Malaysia, as the hospital group expands use of the Hinotori surgical robot at Mahkota Medical Centre in Melaka and Regency Specialist Hospital in Johor.

Affordability remains the hook, said HMI Medical Malaysia CEO Stanley Lam. “We’re already around 25% more affordable than the market,” he told Healthcare Asia. “For example, our prostate procedure is highly competitive versus other hospitals in the Klang Valley.”

The group is aiming at middle- to upper-income patients who want advanced procedures without Singapore-level fees. Indonesia remains the strongest source of referrals, with patients arriving from Sumatra, Jakarta, Surabaya, Jambi, Semarang and Sulawesi.

The hospitals also receive cases from Bangladesh, Vietnam and China. Singaporeans typically seek procedures not covered by Medisave, whilst Malaysians working in the city-state can use the scheme at both Mahkota and Regency.

“Our prices are three times lower than in Singapore,” Lam said via Zoom.

Cost barriers are likely to fall further as robotic systems proliferate, said Chua Peng Teng, an obstetrics and gynaecology specialist at Mahkota. “It’s simply a matter of volume—as usage increases, it becomes cheaper,” he said in the same Zoom call.

HMI is assessing platforms for knee, spine, and neurosurgery through its Robotic Steering Committee, which is reviewing options for the group’s next expansion phase.

Mahkota and Regency Specialist have completed more than 140 robotic cases, mainly prostate procedures, and intend to triple that number in the next two years, Lam said.

Chua said the growing dataset from robotic surgeries would allow the hospitals to refine ward planning, bed management, and manpower deployment.

Training and specialist evaluation continue through partnerships with Taiwan’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Siemens Healthineers AG, which are supporting HMI’s adoption of robotic platforms.