Health innovation hub to empower local startups towards health innovations in primary care

Sunway University’s innovation arm, Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs), has formed a new partnership with AstraZeneca Malaysia to create Malaysia’s first health innovation hub (HIH). The hub is part of the AstraZeneca A.Catalyst Network, which connects more than 20 of its HIHs around the world.

The hub will empower local start-ups and innovators to deliver new, sustainable solutions that will bolster the treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and support the patient experience, beginning at the primary care level. This is in line with the Malaysian government’s call for digital innovation in the healthcare sector.

Datuk Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim, Deputy Director-General of Health (Research and Technical Support), Ministry of Health (MOH), and His Excellency Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, Ambassador of Sweden, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties. The keynote address was delivered virtually by Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

The rapid increase in the number of patients with NCDs in Malaysia has proven to be one of the most pressing issues to the country’s healthcare system. NCDs accounted for 71 percent of premature deaths in 2019, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019. [Available at: Report_NHMS2019-NCD_v2.pdf (iku.gov.my) Accessed on 16 April 2021] The current health climate, combined with the growing global spread of COVID-19, has increased the risk of these patients developing complications and dying as a result of the virus.

According to an earlier statement by MOH, COVID-19 patients with NCDs do worse statistically than the general population, with over 85 percent of those who died in Malaysia having preexisting conditions like diabetes and hypertension. [Available at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/04/30/danger-of-pre-existing-conditions Accessed on 14 April 2021]

Timely arrival of the Hub
“As a biopharmaceutical company, we have a vital role to play in supporting Malaysia’s battle against NCDs by strengthening our primary care ecosystem with solutions beyond the pill. With a robust ecosystem in place, we can address the prevalence of NCDs, better support the patient experience and enable digital health innovation,” said Dr Sanjeev Panchal, country president, AstraZeneca Malaysia.

Sanjeev added: “By allowing digital technology into healthcare, we are able to solve healthcare problems ‘beyond the pill’ by providing digital solutions that are affordable, universal, high-quality and patient-centric. This creates unique experiences for patients which ultimately delivers more powerful healthcare over the longer term.”

The establishment of the HIH comes with expectation that partnerships with local healthcare innovators will be formed and the partnership will provide these local players with the platform and tools to build sustainable ecosystems and contribute to the advancement of digital health innovation. This strongly echoes the government’s priorities to integrate new technologies into patient pathways to combat the impact of NCDs, said Sanjeev.

Also present at the launch, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, Founder and Chairman, Sunway Group, said: “The number of Malaysians affected by NCDs is rising each year and with the COVID-19 pandemic, affected patients are now exposed to even higher risks. The HIH is another initiative to advance our goal of positioning Sunway City Kuala Lumpur as a living laboratory. It will form a part of our sustainable smart city ecosystem that fosters collaboration between the private sector, academia, civil society and engender research and innovation aimed at solving real-world problems in real time.”