KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is collaborating with four integrated wellness residences in Kuala Lumpur to promote Malaysia as a destination for active retirement living.

Retirement living is a niche segment of the healthcare industry. The four wellness residences in Malaysia involved in this area are Domitys Bangsar, Komune Living & Wellness, ReU Living, and Sunway Sanctuary.

MHTC is exploring tailored active senior care and wellness solutions to establish Malaysia as a premier destination for active retirement living.

It has established a pilot programme called "Rejuvenate with Malaysia Healthcare" to address the difficulties posed by the "silver tsunami" and an ageing society in a proactive manner.

According to Farizal Jaafar, acting chief executive officer of MHTC, the initiative is a new segment that the council is establishing for the healthcare travel business, boosting the industry's contribution as a vital export service to the country.

"Rejuvenate with Malaysia Healthcare is a testament to our commitment to providing world-class healthcare services and promoting Malaysia as a preferred choice for active retirement living and holistic wellness.

"The end goal is to build a sustainable future for the healthcare system. By partnering with such exceptional integrated wellness residences, we are confident that we will help enable and create awareness of the programme, designed to allow seniors to age actively surrounded by various experiential facilities and personal care," he said.

The one-year programme will see MHTC collaborate with four wellness residences that have been carefully selected for their excellence in providing personalised value-based care, cutting-edge technology for preventive and curative treatments, and a wide range of activities to promote overall well-being.

Domitys is a brand collaboration between The Ascott Limited and Singapore's CapitaLand Investment Group.

Komune Living & Wellness is Southeast Asia's largest co-living and wellness hotel. It contains a separate wellness centre that provides senior care and traditional Chinese medicine.

ReU Living is a joint venture between Tan & Tan Developments Berhad and Meaningful Life Sdn Bhd.

Tan & Tan Developments Berhad and Meaningfull Life Sdn Bhd collaborated to create ReU Living. It provides rehabilitation, rejuvenation, renewal, restoration, leisure, and retirement services.

Sunway Sanctuary provides senior living as well as easy access to healthcare through Sunway Medical Centre.

Farizal said that with advances in technology and science, today's seniors are enjoying longer and more active lives than ever before.

He said based on studies from the World Health Organization (WHO), the global population of people aged 60 and older is expected to total up to two billion by 2050.

According to a recent report published by WHO, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or older by 2030.

At this time, the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase from one billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion.

The number of people aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million, according to WHO.

"Malaysia's healthcare industry is adapting and aims to deliver more value-added and unique offerings to fill the gaps in healthcare services," Farizal said.

He said that to create a holistic lifestyle, many senior communities are embracing differentiated and customised health and wellness programmes.

According to him, research has shown that community bonding and social engagement are two of the key factors in sustaining health and longevity, and this philosophy is one of the key drivers for the development of the four integrated wellness residence facilities.