KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 7 -- Escalating healthcare costs in the private sector are driving more affluent Malaysians, including Tan Sris and VIPs, to seek treatment at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).

Its director Datuk Dr Harikrishna K.R. Nairtold Berita Harian that many of HKL's wealthy patients were referred from private medical centres, often after their insurance coverage ran out or when treatment costs became too high.

"This is a reality. First, their insurance coverage runs out. Second, treatment costs are simply too high, so they move to HKL," he was quoted as saying in an interview published today.

He said this shift has been evident over the past decade, reflecting both financial pressures and confidence in HKL's specialists and facil...