Healthcare in Malaysia on the cusp of change

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) was signed today, marking a milestone in digital healthcare in Malaysia.

The MoU will see the two parties collaborate in research, development and commercialisation (R&D&C), focusing on digital innovation in healthcare delivery and solutions, joint cluster development activities, industry network engagement, manufacturing alliance, talent development and digital health innovation hubs.

CREST was represented by it chief executive officer (CEO), Jaffri Ibrahim, while MOH was represented by Health director-general, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The signing was witnessed by Health Minister, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) CEO, Datuk Azman Mahmud.

“Buoyed by the demands and aspirations of the electrical and electronics (E&E) industry in healthcare, we strongly believe that digital healthcare innovations are at the heart of addressing the healthcare challenges faced by our country today,” said Jaffri.

Dr Dzulkefly said CREST has created a vibrant R&D&C ecosystem in digital healthcare. Together with Telemedicine Development Group (TDG), both parties could support and complement the National Healthcare Transformation to provide equitable, affordable and accessible high-quality health services to the rakyat.

Azman said: “With the signing of MoU between the MOH and CREST, I trust that various IoT solutions will be developed and enhanced for better diagnosis and significant savings in healthcare costs.  

“Strong collaborations between stakeholders from multiple expertise and backgrounds are essential towards ensuring that Malaysia is able to propel its global industry leaders towards this new revolution." 

TDG is a collaborative partnership among service providers, regulators, researchers and industries to facilitate digital health and innovations.

CREST plays a significant role in TDG as a catalyst for research and development in digital health innovations and the commercialisation of healthcare products, solutions and services.

-- BERNAMA