Cross-Sector Partnerships Take Centre Stage At Health Summit Asia 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) -- Health Summit Asia 2026 (HSA 2026) is set to take place from May 20 to 22 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). The event is a significant platform bringing together government, industry, academia and civil society to help shape the future of health, wellness and innovation.

National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO) president Prof. Emerita Tan Sri Dr. Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin said the organisation chose to collaborate with HSA 2026 because the summit offers a unique opportunity to ensure women's perspectives are meaningfully incorporated into both policy and practice.

“Our role is to bridge social advocacy with technical, environmental and economic agendas, while highlighting how gender inclusivity strengthens resilience and safeguards sustainability.

“By engaging in cross‑sector collaborations, NCWO aims to amplify women’s voices in decision‑making and foster solutions that benefit communities across Malaysia and ASEAN,” she said in a statement to Bernama.

Sharifah Hapsah explained that NCWO’s strength lies in bringing together a diverse range of partners from government agencies, industry, academia and civil society to the media to tackle systemic challenges to influence policy, promote inclusive workplace practices and amplify grassroots voices.

As part of the collaboration, NCWO will host a special invitation-only Industry Spotlight session titled “The Malaysia Care Ecosystem – Assuring the Quality of Care Givers” on May 21, from 9 am to 5 pm at Hall 6, KLCC.

The session is the result of an intersectoral partnership involving the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya and Qube Integrated Malaysia. It also draws on stakeholder consultation with representatives from government, industry, academia, civil society, and caregiving organisations.

“The event aims to address the crucial need to ensure quality care services by defining the roles of caregivers, developing standards of education and training, designing competency-based curricular dimensions and charting career pathways for caregivers.

“It will also share the processes of micro-credentialing to expand opportunities and flexibility for learning, while showcasing Academia In Industry as an innovative industry-based training approach,” she said.

Sharifah Hapsah said the expected outcome would be the development of a qualifications framework for caregiving education, with enhanced standards based on learning outcomes and credits that can guide course development, accreditation and certification processes.

Meanwhile, SIRIM Berhad's acting president and group chief executive officer, Nik Sazali Nik Hussin, said in the same statement that the organisation's partnership with HSA 2026 reflects its commitment to going beyond supporting enterprises by helping shape a broader ecosystem where government, industry and communities work together to co-create meaningful solutions.

“As we mark our 50th anniversary, this mission is anchored in five decades of technical excellence and nation-building. Our laboratories provide testing and certification services across the medical and healthcare value chain, from materials characterisation and performance testing to quality management system certification for manufacturers,” he said.

Nik Sazali said through its Smart Tech-Up programme, SIRIM works closely with local SMEs to enhance their preparedness, scale operations and open doors to international markets.

“We do this with a clear belief that raising the competitiveness of one local company ultimately raises the competitiveness of the sector as a whole.

“It is this same belief in collective progress that brings us to HSA 2026,” he said, adding that SIRIM catalyses “raising the ceiling” for Malaysian innovation and ensuring industry growth is grounded in a foundation of global trust.

Nik Sazali noted that this commitment to collaborative, standards-driven innovation is embodied in SIRIM’s Medical Device Innovation Centre (MDIC), which was established to help bridge the gap between research and development (R&D) and market readiness.

He added that the initiative also draws on SIRIM’s accredited laboratories, which support key medical device requirements such as biocompatibility testing and extractables and leachables analysis.

“These capabilities enable Malaysian medical device manufacturers, particularly SMEs, to access testing, regulatory insight and quality management system certification within a more cohesive ecosystem,” he added.

Nik Sazali added that engagement platforms such as HSA 2026 further extend this ecosystem by providing opportunities to connect with innovators and participate in policy dialogues that help shape the future of medical device innovation in Malaysia.

He said SIRIM’s contribution to healthcare innovation includes initiatives such as the development of 3D-printed prosthetics and orthotics, cranioplasty, direct 4D printed clear aligners, digital anatomy with augmented reality and bio-models for surgical education and training, developed with local companies.

“At HSA 2026, we are bringing this work into the open, showcasing over 50 years of research, development and technical excellence that underpin some of Malaysia’s most critical healthcare breakthroughs,” he said.

He added that the effort is further strengthened under SMART2030, a strategic smart manufacturing initiative shaping the future of healthcare through the Open Nexus for Innovation Technologies facilities to accelerate collaborative research, digital health solutions and breakthrough innovations that transform patient care while strengthening sustainable health ecosystems towards 2030.

“As SIRIM marks its 50th anniversary, this milestone reflects a legacy of trust that underpins every breakthrough we support.

“Through this, we continue to sharpen Malaysia’s industrial competitiveness while ensuring that healthcare innovations emerging from HSA 2026 translate into tangible, lasting impact for the community,” he said.

Nik Sazali said SIRIM looks forward to engaging with industry players, innovators and policymakers at HSA 2026 to help translate promising ideas into market-ready solutions with the potential to scale beyond Malaysia.

HSA 2026 is organised by Qube, with Green Wellness Malaysia as joint organiser, and brings together SEACare, Malaysia’s premier B2B healthcare platform, and the International Wellness Expo (IWE), the nation’s leading wellness event.

Registration is free, while conference tickets are available for purchase. For more information and to register, visit https://healthsummitasia.com. Conference programme details can be found at https://healthsummitasia.com/conference/programme.

-- BERNAMA