PETALING JAYA, 23 June 2026: Malaysia should consider the wider cost of illness, the income lost when patients cannot work, the burden carried by caregivers, as well as the strain on families when it decides which treatments to fund, health policymakers and industry leaders agreed at the Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) Forum 2026.
The forum, organised by the Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia (PhAMA) and now in its second year, was held recently under the theme “Building Blocks for Value: Advancing Societal Perspectives in Health Technology Assessment, From Concept to Implementation.”
Health Technology Assessment, or HTA, is the process used to evaluate whether medicines, vaccines, medical devices and other health interventions deliver sufficient value for public investment. While HTA has traditionally focused on clinical effectiveness, safety and direct healthcare costs, speakers at the forum said Malaysia has an opportunity to better recognise the broader social and economic impact of illness.
MOH: Healthcare Decisions Have Consequences Beyond The Clinic
Officiating the forum on behalf of the Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr Mahathar bin Abdul Wahab, Dr Syaqirah binti Akmal, Deputy Director, Medical Development Division, Ministry of Health (MOH) and Head of the Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS), noted that Malaysia’s approach to assessing health technologies may need to evolve as healthcare decisions increasingly affect not only patients, but also families, caregivers and the wider economy.
“The scope of HTA considerations may need to broaden, as healthcare decisions carry consequences beyond the clinic, that not just involve patients, but also families, caregivers, and the wider economy. Productivity losses, caregiver burden, household financial strain, and quality of life are fundamental considerations that are relevant to a fuller understanding of what healthcare interventions cost, and what they deliver.” Officiating address on behalf of the Director-General of Health, MOH.
The Ministry framed the task ahead as a set of practical questions for Malaysia to work through collectively, including which societal value elements matter most, how they should be measured and how they can be meaningfully incorporated into decision- making.
Delivering the keynote, Deputy Director-General (Pharmaceutical Services), MOH, called for a shift in how healthcare value is measured. She said effective treatment can help patients return to work, support their families, participate in society and contribute to national development.
“Illnesses do not stop at the hospital door. Healthcare should not be viewed merely as a cost to be controlled, it should be viewed as a strategic investment. When we treat patients effectively, we are enabling people to return to work, support their families, participate in society and contribute to national development,” said Dr Azuana.
Dr Azuana said the adoption of a societal perspective should complement in areas where the wider burden of disease is especially significant, such as rare diseases,
oncology and vaccines. She also highlighted the importance of stronger local data to support responsible and evidence-based implementation.
PhAMA: Value Must Be Measured More Holistically
PhAMA President Ms Kam Ai Teng said the forum aimed to provide a constructive platform for considering how societal perspectives could fit within Malaysia’s HTA landscape, without displacing the clinical and economic evidence already in use.
“When patients are unable to work due to illness, when caregivers have to step away from employment to support loved ones, when families experience financial and emotional burdens, these are real impacts that affect society every day. While some of these elements may be harder to measure, they are nonetheless important parts of the healthcare value equation,” said Ms Kam Ai Teng, President, PhAMA.
Ms Kam also shared that PhAMA is working towards a unified communications platform built around the message “Where Science Meets Hope”, reflecting the industry’s commitment to communicating the value of innovation and its potential to improve lives.
Closing the forum, PHAMA’s Vice President Ms Deepti Saraf said the day’s discussions reinforced the need to centre healthcare value on the outcomes that matter to patients, while recognising that advancing value-based healthcare is not the responsibility of any single stakeholder.
“Innovation in healthcare should not only be viewed through the lens of science and technology, but also through the positive impact it can bring to people’s lives and nation development,” concluded Ms Deepti Saraf.