KUALA LUMPUR (July 16): Malaysia is considering a new national blueprint for the healthcare industry in a bid to attract more investments into the country.
The sector, spanning pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare services, and medical tourism, serves as a key driver of high-value job creation, innovation, and exports, said Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
“We are looking into” developing a national roadmap, Zafrul told reporters at the sidelines of the International Healthcare Week 2025 on Wednesday and noted that healthcare is one of the key sectors “identified under our national investment aspirations”.
In 2024 alone, Malaysia’s medical devices and pharmaceutical industries attracted RM2.13 billion in combined investments, creating over 2,700 high-value jobs across manufacturing, research and development, and regulated services, according to the ministry known as Miti.
Malaysia is home to over 300 local and foreign companies in the healthcare sector — with eight of the world’s top 30 medical device companies having operations in the country — producing advanced products from disposables to digital health.
“This is no accident,” Zafrul said. “It is the result of a well-developed manufacturing ecosystem, supported by, for example, strong electrical and electronics suppliers, the region’s largest medtech talent pool, as well as our home-grown medical devices’ champions.”