Malaysia is touted as a retirement haven with international standards.
This clinic went on to win best clinic 2015!
Be careful. I lived 2 years and found standards variable and the hidden dangers of incompetence and negligence are not worth the glossy exteriors.
Strange that both the dead son and the Mum were talking about their perceived lack of care, yet they didn't seek any treatment on his return to Australia. It seems they were unable to perform good assessments of risk or priorities, so might not have been good candidates to direct their medical care in a less paternal health system.
I have no doubt that there are medical horror stories in SE Asia, much as there are here, and I also am sure the risk of complications in SE Asia is higher.
But the fact that every case like this gets big media stories, with terrifying quotes from local medics exposed for the first time in history to some price competition, leads me to conclude the risks are likely to be overstated.
Would I head to Malaysia in poor health for drastic surgery? Probably not. But I might get a dental implant or similar and take the risk for the thousands of dollars in savings.