Examining service quality of hospitals in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia: case of outbound medical travelers from the Maldives

Abstract

To examine outbound Maldivian medical travelers’ perception on the quality of the service levels in hospitals located in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia. A survey questionnaire was used to gather cross-sectional data from 400 outbound medical travelers from the Maldives. Respondents who received overseas medical treatment at any hospital in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia were selected randomly. SPSS 25.00, and AMOS version 23.00 was used for data analysis. The service quality dimension of tangible, empathy, efficiency and safety positively and significantly influence hospital service quality. On contrary, the level of improvement in medical care found to have a negligible effect. Hospitals in Thailand and Malaysia have overall service quality perceptions scores of 91.8% and 84.6% respectively, which is higher than those in India and Sri Lanka, indicating 67.2% and 77.6%. The study highlights the necessity of improving hospital efficiency and safety in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia. Academics may supplement their analyses of previously published literature with new data and empirical support from the medical industry in Southeast Asia. The findings of this study minimize knowledge, empirical, and population gaps seen in recent literature on medical service quality related to outbound medical travelers from the Maldives.