KUCHING: The Borneo Global MediTourism Congress and Expo (BGMT) Medical Tourism Excellence Awards aim to promote higher standards, stronger partnerships and greater competitiveness in the medical tourism industry, said Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) president Audry Wan Ullok.
Audry, who is also the organising chairperson of BGMT, said the inaugural awards were established to recognise individuals, institutions and leaders whose contributions were helping shape the industry.
“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,” she said at the BGMT 2026 Welcome and Awards Dinner at the Waterfront Hotel here last night (Oct 12).
She said medical tourism involved more than hospitals, medical procedures and international patients, bringing together healthcare, diagnostics, tourism, hospitality, transportation, technology, investment and research.
She added that the awards recognised excellence across six areas, reflecting different aspects of the medical tourism industry.
Audry also acknowledged Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) as the awards’ accreditation partner, saying its involvement in evaluating the recipients reflected the organisers’ commitment to a fair and credible judging process.
As the inaugural awards presentation, she said the event marked the beginning of a tradition intended to encourage continuous improvement and recognise outstanding contributions from across Borneo, ASEAN and the international medical tourism community.
“For Sarawak, this is particularly significant. We have an opportunity to strengthen our healthcare capabilities, build confidence among international patients, connect our healthcare providers with new markets, and bring together the wider industries that support the patient journey,” she said.
She said the industry’s progress depended not only on infrastructure and numbers but also on trust, quality, people and partnerships.
Audry thanked the Sarawak government, supporting ministries and agencies, organising partners, sponsors, judges and award recipients for their contributions to BGMT 2026.
She congratulated the recipients and expressed hope that their achievements would inspire others to contribute towards a stronger and more connected medical tourism industry.
