Cover Story

Nearly four years ago, a CNBC special report highlighted Malaysia’s rapidly expanding medical tourism sector. It was a surprise for many viewers that the US-based network focused on Penang’s private hospitals considering that Malaysia’s capital has 24 private hospitals compared to Penang’s 12.

It was in early December last year when we met the award-winning writer of The Gift of Rain and The Garden of Evening Mists, Tan Twan Eng, who...