Many Malaysians will remember one of the defining images of the Covid-19 pandemic not from a hospital ward or a government briefing, but from outside ordinary homes: white flags hanging from windows and balconies.
The Bendera Putih (White Flag) movement emerged in 2021 as families facing hunger, unemployment, isolation or desperation quietly signalled for help.
Neighbours responded with food, money and solidarity.
The campaign spread across the country because the crisis was never only about a virus; it was about the fragility that the pandemic exposed in people’s lives.
That memory matters as global health leaders gather in Kuala Lumpur this coming Tuesday to Friday (June 9-12, 2026) for the fourth Global Health Security Conference.
Tackling vulnerabilities
The danger today is that the world learns the wrong lesson from Covid-19.
Since the pandemic, governments have invested heavily in preparedness: surveillance systems, laboratories, stockpiles, testing networks and emergency response plans.
These are important.
Malaysia, like every country, needs strong systems to detect and respond rapidly to outbreaks.
But preparedness alone will not keep societies safe.
Covid-19 revealed something deeper: the countries most vulnerable to crisis are often those entering pandemics with underlying weaknesses already embedded in society.
These include chronic disease, inequality, fragile public trust, environmental stress and underinvestment in prevention.
Malaysia knows this well.
More than 5.3 million Covid-19 cases and over 37,000 deaths were recorded.
But the damage extended far beyond the then novel infection.
Lockdowns triggered the country’s worst economic downturn since the Asian financial crisis, while the Bendera Putih campaign became a national symbol of household distress and social strain.
At the same time, Malaysia was already confronting another long-term health crisis.
Today, an estimated 3.55 million Malaysian adults are living with diabetes and 4.58 million with obesity.
These and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than 70% of premature deaths in the country and cost the economy over RM64bil annually.
These numbers matter because pandemics do not strike blank slates.
Viruses exploit existing vulnerabilities.
Going beyond preparedness
A population burdened by diabetes, cardiovascular (heart) disease, poor nutrition, insecure housing, pollution or weak social protection is less resilient when outbreaks arrive.
A society with low public trust or widening inequality is harder to mobilise during crisis.
And a health system focused narrowly on emergency response, while neglecting prevention and public health, will always be fighting with one hand tied behind its back.
This is why health security must mean more than preparedness.
Real health security begins long before the next outbreak appears at a border checkpoint.
It depends on healthier populations, trusted public institutions, resilient communities and governments willing to invest seriously in prevention.
That means strengthening the full range of public health functions: disease prevention, health promotion, regulation, community engagement, environmental protection and trusted communication – not treating them as secondary to emergency response.
It also means recognising that health security is shaped far beyond health ministries.
Food systems, air quality, housing, urban planning, labour protections, education and climate policy all influence how resilient societies are when crises emerge.
In South-East Asia, where climate change, urbanisation, ageing populations and chronic disease are all accelerating simultaneously, this broader understanding of health security is becoming unavoidable.
Taking the lead
Malaysia has an opportunity to lead this conversation.
Hosting the Global Health Security Conference is not only a diplomatic milestone; it is a chance to help shift the global debate away from a narrow focus on emergency preparedness towards a more comprehensive vision of societal resilience and public protection.
Covid-19 taught us that health security is not only built in laboratories or emergency operations centres.
Healthier, fairer and more resilient societies are themselves a form of protection.
The countries safest from future pandemics will not necessarily be those with the most laboratories or the largest stockpiles.
They will be those that invest most seriously in the health and resilience of their people before the next crisis strikes.
Dr Kent Buse is a professor of health policy at Monash University Malaysia. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this article. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
