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The Star November 07th 2002
Penang promotes boob jobs
EDITED BY SIRA HABIBU
PENANG: Penang, which is known as the country’s Silicon
Valley for its production of microchips, has now gained a reputation
as the silicone centre for breast enlargement surgeries.
The state’s Beautiful Holidays package initiated by a
local travel firm has attracted international media attention
including a write-up in the influential New York Post.
The boob job comes under a beauty surgery-cum-holiday deal provided
by Penang-based Medi Travels.
In the Post report, British fledgling model Jeniffer Forrest,
19, came here to enjoy Penang’s sun, sea and palm-fringed
beaches, and went home with more than just memories and a tan.
“Forrest checked into a suite, swam at the bayside
pool, went snorkelling in aquamarine waters among tropical fish
and baby sharks, and shopped for designer handbags at Penang’s
street markets,” the report said, adding that Forrest
returned home with a curvier figure.
She arrived here with a 34B cup-size pair of breasts she considered
“too small” and returned home 19 days later with
a curvaceous 34D figure.
Like many British women looking for cosmetic surgery, she was
quoted up to £6,000 (RM34,200) to have a breast enlargement
operation in her country, the report noted.
In Penang, however, the same operation can be done for an equivalent
of about £3,500 (RM19,950) with a luxurious stay in a
top-class hotel thrown in.
In an interview with The Star, Medi Travels managing director
Giezenaar Marlose said the “Beautiful Holidays”
package would provide patients a leisure stay on the island
besides the cosmetics surgery they sought.
She said medical treatment was a lot cheaper here compared with
in Europe and the United States.
“People can
come here for a surgery and a holiday at a cost equal to just
the surgery back home,’’ he said.
The company, however, is not just about getting bigger breasts
for women.
“We work closely with big insurance
companies in Britain and Holland to enable policy holders to
come to Malaysia for (other) medical treatments, such as for
prostate cancer as well as hip and knee replacement,”
she said.
The fee for the treatment-and-holiday package depends on a number
of variables; including the type of surgery or size of enlargements,
medication, flight class (business or economy), type of accommodation
(such as five star resort or three-star hotel) and currency
exchange rates.
This means that a single course of treatment can be as low as
RM8,500 or as high as RM38,000.
An introductory line used by the company for prospective customers
is that “most people return from a holiday feeling relaxed,
but with Beautiful Holidays, they return looking wonderful and
more youthful as well”.
Asked if she was surprised that Penang was referred as a cost-effective
destination for breast enlargement, Penang Culture, Arts, Tourism
and Women Development committee chairman Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen
said: “This is part and parcel of medical tourism which
the state is promoting. We do have good facilities for convalescence.’’
She said she was glad that Penang was perceived as one of the
global centres for cosmetic surgery.
“One of
our niche markets that is progressing well is medical tourism.
“Ever since we initiated this medical tourism
campaign, foreigners, especially Indonesians, are coming here
in droves to seek treatment at our private hospitals,’’
she said, adding that an estimated 60,000 foreigners have sought
treatment at the eight private hospitals here.
However, said Kee, Penang was better known as the heart centre
for the northern region and private hospitals were encouraged
to work closely with hoteliers to package their services.
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