Catalist-listed Singapore Medical Group (SMG) said that it had entered into a non-binding agreement on Jan 8 with a counterpart in Indonesia to provide health-care services.

The private specialist health-care provider is exploring a joint venture with Ciputra Group - one of Indonesia's largest property developers - to start the Ciputra SMG Eye Clinic at the Ciputra Medical Centre in Jakarta.

The project will focus on serving patients requiring "vision correction and treatment through Lasik surgery as well as cataract surgery", SMG said in a statement on Tuesday night.

The memorandum of understanding is valid for six months and will expire on July 8, or when a formal joint venture agreement is inked.

Dr Beng Teck Liang, the chief executive of SMG, said: "Indonesia is a very important medical tourism market for (the company)."

He also said SMG is excited to work with its Indonesian partner to provide patients in Indonesia with laser vision correction technologies, as well as safe and reliable cataract surgery.

SMG has 12 clinics in Singapore at Paragon, Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, Novena Medical Centre and Gleneagles Medical Centre among others.

Its shares closed down 0.1 cent or 0.78 per cent to 12.7 cents yesterday, before the company filed the announcement with the Singapore Exchange.