ONE YEAR ON: Sabah’s Premier Medical Wellness Center Marks Milestone in Global Health Tourism

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (Aug 22, 2025) – A year after its launch, the European Wellness Premier Centre in Sabah is being hailed as a major step forward in Malaysia’s ambitions to become a global leader in medical wellness tourism.

The center, founded by internationally renowned regenerative medicine expert Prof. Dato’ Sri Dr. Mike K.S. Chan and his beloved wife Prof. Dato’ Sri Dr. Michelle Wong, officially opened its doors on August 22, 2024, following a high-profile inauguration that drew political leaders, foreign dignitaries, and investors to the state capital.

Built on a multimillion-dollar investment, the state-of-the-art facility combines advanced stem cell science with the region’s natural healing environment, offering bespoke therapies to clients from around the world — including heads of state, billionaires, Hollywood celebrities, and those seeking transformative healing solutions. Over the past year, it has steadily evolved into a hub not only for treatment but also for education and research in anti-aging and regenerative medicine.

“Today, we are one of the most advanced centers in the world—right here in Sabah,” said Prof. Chan during the launch, a declaration that now rings even truer, 12 months later.

A Strategic Vision for Sabah

The center’s opening aligned with the Sabah state government’s broader strategy to diversify its economy and position the region as a high-value destination for international health seekers.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor, who officiated the launch last year, called it a “gateway to a healthier, more vibrant future” and expressed hope that it would mark Sabah’s entry into the global wellness sector.

The event was attended by prominent names including the Chairman of Invest Sabah Berhad, Senator Tan Sri Anifah Aman, and foreign advisors such as H.E. Dr. Khalid Abdulla Mubarak Albuainain AlMazrouie, underscoring the international interest in Sabah’s growing medical ecosystem.

From Diplomats to Icons: A Year of Prominent Visitors

Since its debut, the European Wellness Premier Centre has drawn a succession of high‑profile visitors. Late in 2024, UAE Ambassador Dr. Mubarak Saeed AlDhaheri toured the facility, and UAE advisor Dr. Khalid Albuainain inspected it shortly after its opening—both visits underscoring deepening health ties between Malaysia and the UAE.

Around the same time, Prof. Mike Chan signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China’s Jilin Hanxing Group, ensuring Chinese VIP clients would have access to the center’s therapies while a sister complex is developed in Sanya.

In 2025, longevity pioneer Dr. Thierry Hertoghe underwent a customized stem‑cell program at the center, and a delegation from China Regenerative Medicine International, led by founder Wang Chuang and doctors Li Xiangyang and Du Xueli, participated in a three‑day knowledge exchange.

Celebrity advocates have also amplified the center’s reputation: Hong Kong actress Christy Chung praised its world‑class treatments. Former supermodel and wellness advocate Yolanda Hadid called the therapies a “new ray of hope” crediting Prof. Mike Chan with playing a pivotal role in her recovery from Lyme disease, “Prof. Mike Chan is by far the best stem cell doctor in the world,” said Hadid, following her treatment in Sabah.

Major General Khalid Abdulla of the UAE hailed the center’s brain‑and-organ‑specific stem‑cell approach. Collectively, these visits and endorsements highlight EWPC’s rapid rise as a global nexus for regenerative medicine and medical wellness tourism.

Healing Beyond Borders

The center specializes in targeted stem cell and peptide therapies, focused on prevention, rejuvenation, and recovery—rather than illness alone. This personalized approach has attracted a growing clientele, including foreign dignitaries, Hollywood stars, and Asian celebrities, many of whom seek discreet and high-quality medical services far from the public eye.

“Our aim is to help individuals achieve optimal health at every stage of life. We treat everyone differently. No one is treated the same,” Prof. Chan explained in an earlier interview.

Beyond VIPs, the center has also opened its doors to patients in need, local and regional, through community outreach, subsidized care, and medical training initiatives. Dozens of Malaysian healthcare professionals have since received direct exposure to regenerative medicine through the facility’s programs.

Sabah as the ‘Switzerland of the East’

Looking back, Prof. Mike Chan reflects on his younger journey in Europe, shared closely with his wife Michelle. It began in Geneva, Switzerland, where their early work in regenerative medicine laid the foundation for what would become a global network of wellness and biomedical centers.

After years of pioneering work in Switzerland and Germany, the couple brought their life’s work home.

“After four decades in Europe, I’ve brought the best of Switzerland and Germany back to Sabah, back to Malaysia and Asia,” said Prof. Chan. “This center is more than science—it’s our shared life’s work.”

That vision took shape in Kota Kinabalu, where the natural beauty of Sabah meets the frontier of medical science. Prof. Chan has long envisioned the region as a rare convergence point of nature and technology.

“I always say Sabah will be the Switzerland of the East… and the Hawaii of the East,” he remarked. “It’s the only place in Asia with this combination of natural healing energy and cutting-edge medicine.”

And that vision is far from theoretical. Building on the success of the Premier Centre, Prof. Chan’s team has embarked on an $80 million expansion project in the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP).

The goal: to replicate the group’s 40-year-old German biopharmaceutical plant, this time on Malaysian soil. The facility is expected to advance local pharmaceutical innovation, create jobs, and establish Sabah as a serious contender in Asia’s biotech and wellness economy.

With every step forward, the legacy of Switzerland is being reimagined, right here in Sabah.

A Global Network with Sabah at Its Heart

The European Wellness Group currently operates 40+ centers globally, making it one of the most expansive networks in the sector. But Sabah, Prof. Chan says, is now “the soul of the brand” where vision, healing, and hospitality converge.

Further expansion is also on the horizon. Chan revealed plans for a resort-style medical center on a China Island, in partnership with a multibillion-dollar investor group. The facility will integrate luxury living and medical science, reinforcing Malaysia’s growing appeal in the international wellness economy.

Educating the World’s Doctors

Over the past year, the EWPC has also positioned itself as a learning and innovation hub. It has hosted international continuing medical education (CME) programs, forged collaborations with institutions in Germany, Japan, China and Ukraine, and welcomed researchers eager to explore regenerative science in a tropical setting.

“Apart from treating patients, we are also educating all the doctors of the world,” said Prof. Chan, who has authored over 60 books and 130 scientific papers on stem cell therapy and aging.

A New Chapter in Medical Tourism

Malaysia’s medical tourism industry, valued at over USD $400 million in 2023, is now entering a new phase. With the launch and rapid growth of the European Wellness Premier Centre in Sabah, the country is no longer just a value destination, it is emerging as a thought leader in the fusion of science, luxury, and longevity.

“This is only the beginning,” said Prof. Chan. “Sabah will not just be known for its beauty, but for its ability to heal.”

Building a Biomedical Ecosystem in Sabah

As the European Wellness vision expands, Prof. Mike Chan is looking beyond clinical care, towards building an entire biomedical ecosystem in Sabah. A key component of that plan is the ownership and establishment of biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities on local soil.

With decades of experience operating a 40-year-old biopharma plant in Germany, the group now plans to replicate that success in Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP). This facility will not only serve as a production hub for advanced therapeutics, but also mark a critical step in ensuring that Malaysia, and Sabah in particular, can become a self-reliant producer of regenerative medical products.

 “We’re not just treating patients anymore—we’re producing the future of medicine,” Prof. Mike Chan noted.

This vertical integration of manufacturing, research, and clinical care sets a new benchmark for medical tourism in the region, while paving the way for Sabah to lead in both healthcare innovation and biotech investment in Southeast Asia.

As the world continues to age, and demand for preventative, regenerative healthcare rises, centers like this one in Kota Kinabalu may hold the key not only to a longer life, but to a better one.

“Let’s add life to longevity—not just years to our life,” Prof. Chan said with a quiet conviction, marking one year of transformation, with decades of ambition still ahead.