Press release
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau
Malaysia will be the focus of the medical industry again in two years, as the country prepares to welcome the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) Congress 2020. Leading healthcare experts from 125 countries are expected to gather at the WFH Congress 2020 from 14 to 18 June 2020 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, joined by the Hemophilia Society of Malaysia and affiliate partner, World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), will be given the honour to create a focal point for a global network of healthcare providers, national hemophilia associations, people with hemophilia and families to discuss and share the status of hemophilia treatment and research in the various parts of the world.
Malaysia was chosen as the host country for the congress in 2014. The recent WFH Congress 2018 held in Glasgow, Scotland on 24 May 2018 marked the official handover ceremony. First time to be held in Malaysia, the biennial congress is said to be the most significant international forum that brings together the entire global bleeding disorders community.
“Malaysia’s event journey is at a pivotal stage. Health-focused congress like WFH World Congress 2020 plays an important role in increasing the number of international delegates and the benefits are far-reaching. Malaysia will witness the congregation of 4,300 delegates from all over the world and the congress comes in at a time when the Malaysia medical tourism market is expected to witness a pronounced growth,” said Datuk Zulkefli Haji Sharif, the Chief Executive Officer of MyCEB.
“In line with MyCEB’s goal of attracting major healthcare conferences to Malaysia, the congress will see an impressive line-up of speakers comprising of leading experts in the field such as practitioners, scientists, doctors, specialists, pharmaceuticals and pharmacists of inherited blood disorders and healthcare officials. The congress will showcase the latest scientific and clinical developments in research, diagnostics as well as disease management and is expected to deliver an estimated economic impact of RM55.1 million to the country. We are looking forward to welcome the delegates who will be attending the congress in 2020,” he continued.
Through WFH World Congress 2020, Malaysia is well-placed to significantly grow its visitor economy in the area of medical tourism and for the benefit of the region in Asia and locally. Besides a meeting place for patients with bleeding disorders and their families, the congress will see a multidisciplinary programme on emerging topics in the inherited bleeding disorders field to also be organised.
Taqrir Akramin Khalib, President of Hemophilia Society of Malaysia said, “Due to its location and a great value for money destination, the coming WFH World Congress 2020 in Kuala Lumpur will benefit not only the Malaysian hemophilia community but also the hemophilia communities in the Southeast Asian countries.”
He continued to acknowledge that hemophilia treatment and care are generally still limited in this part of the world. “Hopefully WFH World Congress 2020 in Kuala Lumpur will provide more exposure and advocate for an improvement in the treatment as well as care of people with hemophilia in the region and worldwide,” he added.