​Digital Health Malaysia takes health transformation to new heights with fourth telemedicine conference

JUNE 21, 2019 @ 9.45PM
Healthcaretoday, Digital health, Telemedicine conference, Ramsay Sime Darby, Telemedicine, Digital Health Malaysia, digital health, 4th Industrial Revolution,
Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in his opening address emphasised the need for healthcare professionals to learn the culture of innovation and commercialisation to make healthcare - better, faster, smarter and cheaper.
Themed ‘4th Industrial Revolution in Healthcare’, the two-day conference that began on June 20 presented a vision of the future of healthcare in Malaysia, with an aim of educating stakeholders together towards a shared vision of digital health in the country.

The conference - organised by Digital Health Malaysia (DHM) - is part of a Digital Health Week from June 16 – 21, in collaboration with the 6th International Conference on Bio-Sensing Technology.

“4IR is the buzz word in today’s world in many sectors including healthcare. As Malaysia is into the 4th Industrial Revolution, there’s a need to develop that form within the local ecosystem to cultivate and to learn the culture of innovation and commercialisation. In the field of medicine - constantly evolving and changing at a rapid rate, healthcare professionals need to keep abreast with this, with an aim to make healthcare - better, faster, smarter and cheaper,” said Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Director General of Health, Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia in his opening address.
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“Diagnostic solutions powered by artificial intelligence offer endless possibilities and to these end, clinicians, scientist, industry players, regulatory bodies, bankers and investors need to come together to create relevant and commercially viable technology.

“MOH has been implementing regulatory changes to promote the development of new technology. Guidelines have been prepared for innovators to assist them to ensure that their invention is safe for patients and compliant with acceptable health care standards. Agencies such as the Medical Device Authority, National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and Clinical Research Centre are there to guide and assist in this regulatory area.

“We have agreed for the Telemedicine Development Group (TDG) to be rebranded as DHM which is co-chaired by the DG of Health and Chairman of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). It will continue to support development, research and innovation of digital health initiatives in Malaysia through the four special interest groups (SIG):
  • SIG 1: Policy and regulatory
  • SIG 2: Knowledge dissemination and networking
  • SIG 3: Research and development, clinical trials
  • SIG 4: Certification, go-to market and manufacturing

​In 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released the first guideline on digital health preventions and recommendations on how countries can use digital health accessible through mobile phones and computers to improve health and medical services.

“These are what we need to embrace in digital healthcare. We need to transform the current healthcare system from the complexity - to one of high impact, reasonable cost with great outcomes.

“The MOH shall provide its network of hospitals and health clinics as test beds for disease specific digital innovations, clinical studies and solutions trials; while other agencies provide financial solutions and support where appropriate,” he added.

Noor Hisham said that there would be legislative and regulatory issues in this endeavour. However, partners, regulators and policy makers can seek the guidance of MCMC as well as MOH who are there not to obstruct but to facilitate without compromising on quality and service.

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