KL Wellness City, first-of-its-kind healthcare-oriented township in Malaysia

By Gunaprasath Bupalan

 

Petaling Jaya, 24 March 2022 – KL Wellness City Sdn Bhd has unveiled its first-of-its-kind integrated mixed-development township focusing on sustainable healthcare. The project, known as KL Wellness City, is set to be developed and completed over a 10-year period in Bukit Jalil. The township has a gross development value (GDV) of more than RM11 billion and spans 26.49 acres across seven plots of land.

KL Wellness City spans 26.49 acres over seven plots of land with an overall gross development value (GDV) of more than RM11 billion.

KL Wellness City, a sustainable township supported by a full suite of offerings across the health, medical, fitness, and wellness pillars, was introduced by Managing Director Dato’ Dr Colin Lee. It will transform the way Malaysian and international patients receive care. Medical care is linked with general healthcare, preventative care, and fitness throughout KL Wellness City in order to enhance each resident’s and patient’s potential for health, wellness, and fitness.

The integrated township has been thoughtfully designed to allow all residents to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle by integrating the built environment with nature, green areas, convenience, safety, and the opportunity to nurture good and healthy habits. The building design maximises natural light and ventilation with extensive commercial and retail infrastructure and services, as well as an abundance of green vegetation. Meanwhile, the township offers a high occupant-to-nature ratio, with up to 5m2 of greenery per person, embracing nature’s calming and therapeutic qualities.

“We are pleased to introduce the first Healthcare and Wellness City in Southeast Asia, right here in Kuala Lumpur. Through its 360-degree ecosystem, we aim for KL Wellness City to offer an impeccable experience for everyone seeking a more efficient and pleasant patient journey. This can be achieved by integrating the medical, ancillary and support services into one purpose-built wellness hub like the one we are offering. We also aim for this healthcare hub to further strengthen Malaysia’s position as the leading destination for global healthcare tourists, and to contribute towards Malaysia’s economy,” said Dato’ Dr Colin Lee, Managing Director, KL Wellness City Sdn Bhd.

Integrating Healthcare Delivery

KL Wellness City intends to improve the patient experience for Malaysian and international patients by improving the way medical professionals operate and manage their clinics. The Nobel Healthcare Park, a dedicated medical and wellness suite complex with a GDV of RM1 billion, is being built as a one-stop destination from diagnosis to rehabilitation to achieve this. The Nobel Healthcare Park, which is directly connected to the International Tertiary Hospital via a two-level link bridge, connecting medical suites and ancillary medical support services such as diagnostic, therapeutic, and custodial services to improve the efficiency and performance of the entire healthcare delivery ecosystem.

KL Wellness City deviates from the traditional hospital-centric healthcare delivery model by promoting holistic wellness and preventative healthcare throughout the patient journey as well as for medical personnel. This philosophy is reflected in KL Wellness City’s nature-centric architecture, which includes a huge stretch of greenery, landscaped rooftop breakout areas with restaurants, cafes, an auditorium, a swimming pool, natural open-air lift lobbies, and wheelchair-accessible covered walkways.

Specialists practising in The Nobel Healthcare Park will have full access to the services of the International Tertiary Hospital, which is expected to open in early 2025 and will include 624 beds scalable to 1,000, cutting-edge equipment and operating theatres, as well as innovation labs and clinical R&D facilities. The integrated IT infrastructure system provides medical practitioners with a full range of complementary and ancillary medical services, as well as faster results and reporting.

The Nobel Healthcare Park’s medical suites are built to Ministry of Health regulations and are structured in a modular format, allowing experts to choose the perfect size for their practice, with suites starting at 223 sq ft and prices starting at RM414,000. Owners have complete control over their practices, including determining professional fees, administering medications, and hiring people, as well as utilising the medical equipment at the International Tertiary Hospital to save on expenses. The suites in The Nobel Healthcare Park also offer a unique investment opportunity, enabling pioneering doctors who invest in purchasing medical suites to benefit from the projected strong capital appreciation.

“The medical suites in The Nobel Healthcare Park have been designed based on the core management team’s own experience in the medical field. We have infused the design with elements that offer practising medical specialists the flexibility to optimise the use of space to suit their precise requirements and the freedom to make changes according to evolving needs. We are confident this will enhance the specialists’ interest in owning the suites as an investment in addition to running a practice here. In fact, we are expecting a take-up rate of 80%, within the first three months of the first phase’s official launch,” elaborated Dato’ Dr Lee.

The Nobel Healthcare Park also has fully-furnished wellness suites, which are versatile living spaces that can be used for owner occupancy, home office use, or short-term stays, such as step-down care and healthcare traveller accommodation, with top-tier leisure and lifestyle amenities like a 50-meter lap pool, jacuzzi, sandy cove, and F&B outlets. These suites, which come in 268 sq ft and 386 sq ft options, starting from RM338,000, offer additional opportunities for attractive rental yield, for medical professionals offering the space to patients and their families, or for other real estate investors.

Future-centric technology and standards

The latest technology will be used at KL Wellness City to improve efficiency and service delivery, emulating the Smart City concept, in which the smart use of healthcare technology, networking, and real-time data improves patient and resident convenience. Meanwhile, the township’s forward-thinking attitude is reflected in its environmental, social, and economic sustainability credentials, which are reinforced by careful planning and management to address social, environmental, and economic implications. Built to the exact specifications of GBI certification guidelines, KL Wellness City’s long term green credentials are further supported by Building Information Modelling (BIM 6D) up to the highest level of asset management, to enjoy a high level of operational efficiency during construction and long-term operation.

Complementing Malaysia’s economic goals

KL Wellness City’s concept aligns with Malaysia’s position as the leading global destination of choice for healthcare tourists, as well as the goals of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint 2021-2025, which aim to elevate medical tourism in the country. It is led by a strong management team with decades of experience in building and managing tertiary hospitals. Malaysia’s medical tourism sector produced RM1.7 billion in revenue from 1.22 million healthcare travellers in 2019, and the industry has the potential to contribute up to RM7 billion to the economy by 2025, aiming to achieve economic recovery beyond pre-pandemic levels.

“Malaysia’s medical care is among the best in Southeast Asia, and our International Hospital is benchmarked against top hospitals around the region, particularly Mount Elizabeth Novena in Singapore and Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, both of which serve a clientele comprising significant numbers of international patients. We are confident that our thorough planning for this fully integrated and interconnected township will contribute towards a positive experience for all who seek health and wellness at KL Wellness City,” Dato’ Dr Lee added.

(From right to left) 
Francis Lim Poon Thoo, Director of Corporate Affairs & Hospitality Services.
Datuk Seri Garry K.S. Chua, Non-Executive Director, Retail, Consumerism & Construction.
Dato’ Sri Dr Vincent Tiew, Executive Director of Branding, Sales & Marketing.
Dato’ Dr Colin Lee, Managing Director.
Datin Karen Pua, Director of Hospitality.

Set to welcome the world in 2025

KL Wellness City will be built in two phases and will comprise office towers, a retirement resort, and wellness-focused serviced residences when completed. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2025.

The township is strategically located in the established Bukit Jalil neighbourhood, which provides a ready population catchment as well as a skilled healthcare talent pool within a 15-kilometer radius. KL Wellness City is located in the International Zone of the Kuala Lumpur Master Plan, with easy access from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It is close to comprehensive infrastructure and holistic lifestyle destinations such as Pavilion Bukit Jalil (300m), Kinrara Golf Course, Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resort, Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil National Stadium, and Axiata Arena (KL Sports City).

For more information about KL Wellness City, please visit https://www.klwellnesscity.com/

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