Healthcare Digitization and Sustainability of Penang Healthcare Providers: A Case of Medical Tourism

Abstract

This chapter describes how Malaysian healthcare providers in Penang promote ESG-aligned sustainability through digital solutions. Digitalization improves operational efficiency, environmental performance, and patient-centered care, according to stakeholder theory, institutional theory, and the resource-based view. Digital tools like EMRs, AI-assisted diagnostics, blockchain-based records, and telemedicine platforms can improve healthcare delivery and system resilience, according to a PRISMA analysis of policy initiatives, institutional practices, and ESG principles. The findings show that Penang's healthcare providers encourage lowering of ecological footprints and administrative redundancies. The study identified technological inequalities, data governance challenges, and regulatory control difficulties, despite achieving promising results. ESG performance, ethical digital stewardship, and cross-border health regulations need improvement. Policymakers, administrators, and global health strategists use the insights to promote sustainable digital health.