KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): FWD Takaful and FWD Insurance have announced a strategic partnership with Innoquest Pathology Malaysia (Innoquest) to champion the importance of preventive and early health screenings amongst Malaysians — an initiative that shifts the focus from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.
This collaboration is part of the FWD HealthyMe programme. It brings together two industry leaders to create a proactive healthcare ecosystem that combines protection, diagnostics, and clinical access in a seamless experience.
While Malaysians are becoming more conscious of the importance of health screenings, the gaps remain in early screening practices. According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023, 2 in 5 Malaysians aged 18 and above did not undergo any health screenings — including for diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol—in the past year.
While 85% of Malaysians aged 40 to 60 claim to have had a health screening at some point, only 66% do so annually, indicating room for improvement in consistent preventive care. Despite growing awareness, many still underestimate the importance of early detection, even when facing family histories of chronic conditions.
Cognisant of these challenges, FWD is stepping up as a proactive health partner, going beyond protection to offer Malaysians the tools and access they need to make early screening a regular part of their lives. This partnership with Innoquest directly addresses the gaps in preventive care by making preventive screenings and advanced diagnostics more accessible to its customers.
“This partnership marks a pivotal moment in our journey to become a true health partner to our customers. By integrating health screenings into our offerings, we’re empowering. Malaysians to take charge of their health proactively. This is aligned with our vision of changing the way people feel about takaful, by making it more relevant, personal, and supportive throughout every stage of life”, according to Aman Chowla, CEO of FWD Takaful.
“At FWD Insurance, we believe in making insurance simpler and more accessible to people’s everyday lives,” said Mak See Sen, CEO of FWD Insurance. “This collaboration with Innoquest allows us to deliver on that promise by delivering solutions that go beyond financial protection to support real, tangible health outcomes,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Adam Hathsey Bronson, CEO of Innoquest Pathology said: “Early detection saves lives and improves health outcome. With advanced diagnostics, we can spot risks years earlier—and that’s a game-changer for families, employers, and the healthcare system.
Dr Chris Ting, Group Vice Chairman of Pathology Asia, the parent company of Innoquest, added “At Pathology Asia, we focus on innovation and next-generation diagnostics. Leveraging our regional footprint, we bring these technologies directly to clinicians, partners, and patients. This collaboration with FWD shows how advanced diagnostics can be translated into meaningful impact for communities across Asia.”
The partnership will debut with HealthIQ, a preventive health screening test developed by Nightingale Health and provided by Innoquest.
Through this partnership, FWD and Innoquest aim to deliver a range of integrated benefits that make preventive healthcare more accessible, personalised, and impactful for Malaysians.
In another development, Bernama reported that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has urged the public to prioritise early health screenings as a measure to prevent chronic illnesses.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said in Shah Alam that early detection not only helps prevent diseases from progressing, but also spares individuals from the financial burden and high treatment costs when illnesses such as cancer reach an advanced stage.
"Most patients are taken aback when they learn that their cancer has reached stages three or four, which reduces their chances of full recovery and being cancer-free.
"Imagine if a family member had a chronic disease. The whole family would also feel the impact financially, as treatment for such illnesses can be very costly,” he told reporters after officiating the Bald and Beautiful Day 2025 programme here today.
He added that breast, colorectal, lung and prostate cancers were among the diseases most commonly detected through health screenings.
Dzulkefly said the large-scale health screening programme, conducted in collaboration with the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), was one of the ministry’s initiatives to encourage the public to go for early health screenings.
