Experts say the modular approach allows customizing patient care.
Malaysia’s healthcare leaders are conducting future health care services through innovative and patient-centered strategies, a trend that holds a central position at the 2025 Healthcare Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, where industry experts explore solutions for effective and sustainable healthcare systems.
Lek's Arnaud Bauer and Saleem Butt opened the summit with a keynote address, highlighting the shift from hospital-centered to a more diverse healthcare model and urging the development of modular, flexible and patient-centered systems.
A modular approach can help tailor patient pathways, but for these systems to work, it must be digitally connected.
The event continued a fireside chat, which included Shuba Srinivasan, CEO of Prince Court Medical Centre, who shared the hospital’s digital transformation as one of the first private hospitals in Malaysia to adopt electronic medical records and developed a “one-stop” app for appointments and payments.
Baker McKenzie President Lim Ren Jun discusses the legal aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare data, as well as cybersecurity risks that threaten the industry. “There is higher expectations for protection due to the sensitivity of healthcare data.”
“This is an important consideration when using AI,” Lim added.
The first group meeting defined the role of technology in modern healthcare, focusing on an AI-driven diagnostic and connected ecosystem. The sector is powered by industry leaders Frost & Sullivan’s Rathanesh R, Sunway Medical Center’s Seow Vei Ken, Novo Holdings Asia’s Navjeewan Khosla and Ikang Healthcare Group’s Cathy Liu.
Additionally, Kamal Amzan, Gleneagles Hospital Johor and Regional CEO (South and East) of IHH Malaysia shared insights on optimizing hospital surgeries such as patient admissions and discharges.
Anastasia Miros, Director of Healthcare and Life Sciences at KPMG Asia Pacific, outlines the key features of a “pioneering” healthcare system. “We talk about technology and workforce a lot, but it does depend on how much behavior we need to change and how we will do that.”
At the same time, a culture that promotes experimentation and continuous learning is key to successful implementation of AI, said Hoo Ling Lee, CEO of KPJ Healthcare Berhad Central.
The second panel discusses sustainable financing in value-based care and health care. Yee Keng Lee of KPMG, Chris Hardesty of Pereland Group, Lawrence Sibayan of Makati Life Medical Center and Chelsea Cheng of Sunway Healthcare Group both address the challenges and opportunities of innovation, but also address better patient outcomes.
Ram Nivas, partner at EY-Parthenon, discusses developing data-driven strategies with a focus on building scalable models to support sustainable AI applications.
Best practices include creating a “script” for insights and ensuring close coordination with the healthcare team, Nivas said.
At the same time, challenges such as poor accessibility and inefficiency resources highlight the need for better integration, Dennis Sta. Anna, president and CEO of Makati Living Medical Center, said.
“It is very important to have a strategic partnership between stakeholders,” Sta. Anna said. “When you leverage government support and private sector expertise to build impactful infrastructure and technology, you can achieve smarter, faster results.”
Adjariya Ezor, CIO, Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and Chomtian Hospital introduce the “3 ps” approach, showing how intelligent health risk assessments can redefine patient care.
Eric Woo, vice president of ECRI, discussed promising results for AI in health care, especially in population health management and medical forecasting. Telemedicine, while not designed for all clinical work, is also considered a promising tool for improving care.
However, Woo notes that 62% of doctors still do not use AI solutions. “65% of people have recognized the advantages of this technology.”
The summit concluded with a final panel featuring Frost & Sullivan's Sowmya Srinath, Sunway TCM Centre's Chan Si Yan, Assunta Hospital ASSISS' Darshinia Ballasingam, and Institut Jantung Negara's Shaiful Azmi Yahaya, who touched on the importance of patient-centric care, emphasizing the integration of consumer insights and innovative care models.
