This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 20, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: KPJ Healthcare Bhd said it has surpassed the RM90 million revenue target it set for its health tourism segment this year.

Its president and managing director Datuk Amiruddin Abdul Satar, however, declined to disclose the year-to-date contribution amount of the health tourism segment to the group.

The group collected RM78 million in revenue from health tourism in 2014, and had upped its target for 2015 on the back of rising popularity of Malaysia as a medical tourism destination.

Amiruddin added that while KPJ Healthcare is tapping into the aged care segment as part of its diversification plans into other areas within the healthcare sector, 97% of the group's revenue still comes from hospitals for now.

“Moving forward, of course we have to look into new areas within healthcare. Those related to our services at the moment, such as rehab and lab services, are potential areas that we think we can explore and make bigger,” Amiruddin told The Edge Financial Daily after launching a month-long eye care campaign in conjunction with World Sight Day 2015 yesterday.

When asked about the potential earnings contribution of these areas to the group, Amiruddin said it is still too early to say.

“Because currently these services are servicing the hospitals, it is part of the internal business. What we are thinking is to offer it to other parties, directly,” he said.

Earlier, Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun officiated at the month-long eye care campaign at the KPJ Tawakkal Health Centre here.

It was previously reported that KPJ Healthcare will spend RM1.5 billion to build 10 new hospitals over the next five years, which will add an additional 2,000 beds to the group.