AMCHAM Healthcare Forum 2024 – Building Tomorrow’s Healthcare: Future-Proofing Through Digital and Financial Reforms

On 29 August, AMCHAM hosted the AMCHAM Healthcare Forum 2024, themed Building Tomorrow’s Healthcare: Future-Proofing Through Digital and Financial Reforms. Organized by the AMCHAM Healthcare and Life Sciences Committee, this forum brought together expert voices from government and industry to explore how Malaysia’s healthcare system can transition to a preventive and proactive model through key areas such as digital adoption and healthcare financing.

The event was honored by the presence of Dato’ Sri Norazman Ayob, Deputy Secretary-General (Finance) of the Ministry of Health, who delivered a compelling Keynote Address. He discussed the ongoing developments and challenges currently faced by Malaysia’s healthcare system, advancement strategies, and initiatives being pursued by the government.

The keynote address was followed by a special presentation by Dr. Mahesh Appannan, Director of the Digital Health Division at the Ministry of Health, who provided an insightful presentation on enhancing Malaysia’s healthcare system through digital transformation, addressing the broad range of areas that need to be tackled in the long run. He emphasized the importance of having a user & patient-centric approach that is able to outline the next steps of enhancing digital integration in Malaysia’s healthcare.

Following his presentation, Dr. Mahesh joined a panel discussion with Michael Leddin, Chief Strategy Officer at KPJ Healthcare Berhad, and Dr. Michael Draheim, Chief Clinical Information Officer at Oracle Health, moderated by James Tan, Director of Health, Education & Consumer Industries (HEC) at Intel Corporation. The panel delved into the digital transformation of healthcare, pointing out the opportunities and challenges associated with a nationwide rollout of Electronic Medical Records (EMR), AI’s role in healthcare, recommended legislative and regulatory reformations, and patient-centered value-based care.

The second panel discussion addressed the future of healthcare financing in Malaysia and featured Dr. Davis Johnraj, Senior Deputy Director (Public Health Physician) at the Ministry of Health, and Azrul Mohd Khalib, Founder and CEO of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy. Moderated by Wanda Harahap, Regional Government Affairs Director for Malaysia & Indonesia at Abbott Laboratories, the panel explored strategies for public-private partnership in healthcare financing and the critical role of health insurance.

We extend our deepest appreciation to all our guest speakers for their invaluable insights and engaging discussions. We also extend our gratitude to our Gold Sponsors, Abbott and Pfizer, and our Silver Sponsors, Edwards Lifesciences and Viatris, for their invaluable support.

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