From left: Rais Hussin, Dr Nor Fariza, Lukanisman, and Health Ministry director for medical development division Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yaco at the launch of MaHTAS, a solution designed to facilitate the development of health technology. — ART CHEN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to push tech-driven solutions in the health sector, the Health Ministry has launched a website that will serve as a "single-door" solution for the health industry.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS) is designed to streamline the process for health tech development, assessment, adoption and implementation.
"This initiative will foster an ecosystem that bridges innovation with regulation, ensuring that the rakyat benefits from cutting-edge advancements without delay," he said in his keynote speech at the I-Nation Global Summit 2024 event.
The I-Nation Global Summit 2024 is the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation’s (Mranti’s) flagship event aimed at fostering innovation, collaboration, and impactful socio-economic change.
Dr Izzuna Mudla Mohamed Ghazali, deputy director of MaHTAS, said those with health tech solutions can access the website at mymahtas.moh.gov.my.
"There are forms for industry innovators if they want to have consultations or dialogues with the ministry," she said. She added that this process provides innovators with detailed guidance on product or service development, including the evidence required to substantiate their innovations.
Lukanisman also announced the rollout of Dr Mata, an artificial intelligence-driven software solution to detect and diagnose diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease caused by diabetes, in government clinics.
It is also the first innovation by the Health Ministry to be born out of the MaHTAS initiative.
"This will be rolled out at clinics with fundus (retinal) cameras where we can take photos of patients' eyes, upload them to a cloud for the AI-powered software to help us detect signs of diabetic retinopathy, and get results within 48 seconds," said Dr Nor Fariza Ngah, the deputy director-general for research and technical support at the Health Ministry.
According to Dr Nor Fariza, under current practices, clinics may take up to four days to deliver eye test results to patients, but with Dr Mata, the ministry hopes to improve outcomes for patients with faster detection.
She said Dr Mata is currently being piloted at around 140 government clinics nationwide and is expected to be rolled out widely by January next year.
Lukanisman said the Health Ministry is also looking to explore policies on the use of AI-driven solutions in healthcare.
"Apart from Dr Mata, there are other AI uses that can be applied, including for X-rays. We also hope that innovators or healthtech practitioners can refer to the MaHTAS website to see what is the way forward in terms of innovations that we can use in our facilities and healthcare systems," he added.
In his closing speech, Mranti CEO Datuk Dr Rais Hussin said Malaysia is evolving as a key player in healthcare innovation, especially in the health tech and medical devices sector.
“Malaysia is also prioritising ethical clinical research and collaboration to generate evidence for effective healthcare solutions and is focused on improving healthcare in remote areas through infra development and telemedicine,” he said.
