KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to push tech-driven solutions, the Health Ministry has launched a website that will serve as a “single-door” solution for the health industry.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS) is designed to streamline the process for health tech development, assessment, adoption and implementation.
“This initiative will foster an ecosystem that bridges innovation with regulation, ensuring the rakyat benefits from cutting-edge advancements without delay,” he said in his keynote speech at the I-Nation Global Summit 2024 yesterday.
The summit is the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation’s (Mranti) flagship event aimed at fostering innovation, collaboration and impactful socio-economic change.
Lukanisman also announced the rollout of Dr Mata, an artificial intelligence-driven software solution to detect and diagnose diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease caused by diabetes, in government clinics.
It is also the first innovation by the Health Ministry to be born out of the MaHTAS initiative.
“This will be rolled out at clinics with fundus (retinal) cameras where we can take photos of patients’ eyes, upload them to a cloud for the AI-powered software to help us detect signs of diabetic retinopathy and get results within 48 seconds,” said Dr Nor Fariza Ngah, the ministry’s deputy director-general for research and technical support.
According to Dr Nor Fariza, under current practices, clinics may take up to four days to deliver eye test results to patients.
She said Dr Mata is currently being piloted at around 140 government clinics nationwide and is expected to be rolled out widely by early next year.
Lukanisman said the ministry is also looking to explore policies on the use of AI-driven solutions in healthcare.
“There are other AI uses that can be applied, including for X-rays.
“We also hope that innovators or health tech practitioners can refer to the MaHTAS website to see what is the way forward in terms of innovations that we can use in our facilities and healthcare systems,” he said.
In his closing speech, Mranti CEO Datuk Dr Rais Hussin said Malaysia is evolving as a key player in healthcare innovation, especially in the health tech and medical devices sector.
