Business Times

TMC Life Sciences Bhd, a fertility treatment provider, plans to set up a fertility treatment centre and a second laboratory in Indonesia as it expands operations in Southeast Asia.

The company, in which Berjaya Land Bhd has a 7.14 per cent stake, may also establish a fertility centre in the Philippines, said executive director Wenddi-Anne Chong.

It has six centres in Malaysia providing fertility services such as investigation of infertility, assisted reproduction technology procedures, and general obstetrics and gynaecology services.

"We have been operating in Indonesia and the Philippines through agents. We want to have our own operations there and also to expand to other countries," Chong told Business Times at the official launch of StemTech International Sdn Bhd in Kota Damansara yesterday by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad.

Chong added that TMC Life is planning to increase its overseas revenue from 20 per cent currently. For the year ended December 2007, it posted a net profit of RM9.3 million on the back of RM31.4 million in turnover, largely contributed by its fertility treatment business.

Less than 20 per cent was from its healthcare wellness programme, and stem cell processing and banking through StemTech, which started to operate in September 2007.

StemTech, which is wholly-owned by TMC Life, is a high-tech stem cell services provider focusing on umbilical cord blood stem cell banking in Malaysia.

Its chief executive officer Michael Chua said StemTech will soon offer adult stem cell banking and stem cell medical therapy through TMC Life's flagship hospital, Tropicana Medical Centre, which is being built in Kota Damansara for RM100 million and will operate by the fourth quarter.

"We will also expand StemTech's operation regionally, starting with Indonesia," Chua said.

Stem cells can turn into any kind of cell in the body and is useful to combat more than 70 diseases including cancer.

"There are currently four private cord blood banks in Malaysia and we are the only one who own a hospital where stem cell transplantation can be done. The hospital will be integrated with TMC Life's operation to provide comprehensive services," added Chua.