KUALA LUMPUR: Health Summit Asia (HSA) 2027 is set to give Malaysia greater exposure to healthcare technologies and solutions that can strengthen delivery, while connecting the country with the wider regional health ecosystem.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib (pic) said this exposure could help Malaysia identify technologies suited to local needs, particularly as healthcare must serve rural and suburban communities alongside major cities.
“Our challenge is that while we have large urban populations, we must also cater to the suburbs and rural areas,” she told Bernama at a press conference following the summit’s soft launch here yesterday.
Hanifah Hajar hoped that technology would eventually deliver more integrated systems and able to run several basic medical checks in a single device rather than across multiple pieces of equipment.
She said this would help lower costs by allowing technology to handle routine tasks, freeing medical staff to focus on critical duties such as accurate analysis and diagnosis rather than rushing through high patient volumes.
Earlier in her keynote address, Hanifah Hajar said HSA 2027 aligned closely with the Health Ministry’s priorities, with its theme “One Ecosystem. One Pulse. Shaping the Future of Health Economy” reflecting the need for collaboration across the healthcare sector.
“Progress can no longer happen in silos. It requires concerted and collaborative effort across government, medical professionals, industry leaders, researchers and international partners,” she said.
She said prevention and primary care remain central to the ministry’s agenda, with non-communicable diseases still posing a serious challenge.
She cited the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023, which found that 15.6% of Malaysian adults had diabetes, 29.2% had hypertension and 54.4% were overweight or obese.
Hanifah Hajar said healthcare system reform would also require partnerships spanning technology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and private healthcare delivery.
She said the RM46.5bil allocation to the Health Ministry under Budget 2026 demonstrated the government’s continued commitment to strengthening healthcare access and infrastructure.
Scheduled for May 5 to 7 next year at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, HSA 2027 will introduce Market Access Clinics to help international and regional delegates develop structured market-entry plans for Malaysia and Asia, focused on regulation, hospital adoption and distribution partnerships.
Organised by Qube Integrated Malaysia (Qube) with the support of the ministry, the summit will feature a two-day conference, trade exhibition, Market Access Clinics, Industry Spotlight and business-to-business (B2B) meetings.
Qube deputy managing director Kevin Teo, in his welcoming remarks, said HSA 2027 would focus on deepening regional engagement, strengthening cross-sector collaboration and creating meaningful pathways between businesses, markets and opportunities.
“HSA 2027 will serve as Asia’s premier business and market-intelligence platform to convert market shifts into actionable economic and clinical outcomes,” he said, adding that it aims to attract 120 exhibitors from 10 countries.
The areas covered by the summit will include digital health and technology, medical devices and consumables, pharmaceutical innovation, nutrition and nutraceuticals, as well as health policy and regulation.
Teo said the Market Access Clinics would provide focused small-group sessions on regulatory pathways, hospital adoption and distributor selection to help companies understand the practical steps involved in entering the Malaysian healthcare market.
