5 days ago
Health Ministry, Google explore AI to enhance healthcare system
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry and Google are exploring a new partnership on using artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle some of Malaysia's most pressing health challenges.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad described the initiative as a potential game-changer. "It is still in its early days, but we are very enthusiastic about this partnership to improve the lives of all Malaysians," he said, adding that both parties share a common aspiration to use AI to improve health outcomes at scale.
This was during the minister's keynote speech at the Precision Public Health Asia 2025 Conference in Petaling Jaya today.
Dzulkefly said that the vision is to innovate and deliver real health value, positioning Malaysia as a regional leader in healthcare transformation.
The minister said the transformative potential of data and personalisation in healthcare, pointing out how major tech firms have already mastered personalised engagement.
"But what if we use the same tools to nudge healthier behaviours adapted to the right host, for the right individuals?" he asked.
Dzulkefly also said that embracing AI is no longer a luxury but a necessity due to global economic turbulence, high budgets, and widening health disparities.
To that end, he said the ministry is actively pushing the precision public health agenda, revealing that the cloud-based clinical management system (CCMS) is now in use at 156 clinics nationwide, and that 70 per cent of patients are seen within 30 minutes.
The ministry is also pushing ahead with electronic medical records (EMR) reform.
"Today, five million Malaysians can access their prescriptions, three million have their screening records available, one million have their dental records on file, and more than 20 million can view their vaccination history," he said.
During the press conference, Digital Health Division director Dr Mahesh Apannan said the cooperation with partners such as Google reflects a commitment to harnessing existing capacities and capabilities.
Mahesh said, with Google, the ministry aims to leverage their expertise and capabilities to enhance its own capacity.
He added that the shift towards cloud-based systems has allowed the ministry to integrate existing algorithms into its system.
