May-June. 2025 | The HEALTH

SEACARE 2025

• Thousands of professionals from across Asia converged in Kuala Lumpur for SEACare 2025, which generated over RM1 billion in business leads.

• Next year’ s event will combine multiple medical and wellness platforms under one umbrella, designed to offer a broader reach and deeper industry focus.

• SIRIM’ s infrastructure, including AI and IoT-enabled systems, is designed to help SMEs and startups accelerate their product development.

Positioned as Southeast Asia’ s leading healthcare and pharmaceutical trade show, SEACare 2025 featured 130 exhibiting brands across 250 booths, representing 13 countries and markets. The event reaffirmed Malaysia’ s growing role as a regional healthcare hub and a platform for cross-border innovation and investment.

Organised by Qube Integrated Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.( Qube Integrated Malaysia), the event was supported by major agencies, including the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation( MATRADE), the Medical Device Authority( MDA), and SIRIM Berhad.

Their combined efforts under the International Sourcing Programme( INSP) and Hosted Buyers Program played a critical role in connecting local companies with international buyers, creating tangible commercial leads for participating exhibitors.

BUILDING HEALTH FUTURES

A key milestone at this year’ s edition was the introduction of the Zafar VC Fund in collaboration with 5 Pillar Ventures. The initiative featured eight early-stage health tech and med tech startups, which pitched live to a panel of investors and regional stakeholders.

Although no immediate funding announcements were made, the session facilitated more than 70 new connections between startups, venture capitalists, and ecosystem partners.

“ This year’ s edition has shown encouraging momentum from the quality of regional participation to the volume of meaningful business conversations and strategic partnerships,” said Richard Teo, Executive Chairman of Qube Integrated Malaysia.

“ With a growing appetite for collaboration and innovation in healthcare, we are excited to build on this foundation as we look toward curating an even more impactful and inclusive platform in 2026.”

SEACare 2025 also drew strong

institutional and industry support from the Malaysian Pharmacists Society( MPS), International Medical University( IMU), Japan External Trade Organisation( JETRO), Taiwan External Trade Development Council( TAITRA), the German Health Alliance, and the Malaysia Medical Device Manufacturers Association( PERANTIM).

The event also continued its partnership with the National Cancer Society Malaysia( NCSM), reinforcing its commitment to social impact alongside business outcomes.

MALAYSIA AS A HUB

Looking ahead, the next edition of SEACare is already taking shape.

SEACare 2026 will return to MITEC from Apr 28-30, 2026, with ambitious plans to grow in scale and scope. Organisers aim to attract 200 exhibiting companies and 15,000 trade visitors, with a projected RM1.5 billion in potential sales.

A significant development for next year is the merging of SEACare 2026 with two other high-profile events: the Scientific Convention and Trade Exhibition( SCATE) by the Malaysian Dental Association( MDA) and the International Wellness Expo( IWE) by Green Wellness.

The three events will collectively form Health Summit Asia 2026, a larger, integrated platform aimed at widening sectoral coverage and delivering more specialised offerings.

As regional healthcare players look toward next year’ s expanded format, SEACare continues to strengthen its position as a key platform for innovation, investment, and collaboration in the Southeast Asian healthcare landscape.

THE final day of SEACare 2025 turned the spotlight on the growing role of advanced manufacturing in healthcare, with Dr Juliana Janurudin from SIRIM Berhad outlining how additive manufacturing is shaping the future of medical device development in Malaysia.

Presenting on behalf of SIRIM’ s Smart Manufacturing Centre, Juliana detailed how 3D printing— also known as additive manufacturing( AM)— is enabling faster and more cost-effective production of medical tools, implants, and models.

“ The method allows f o r c u s t o m i s a t i o n a n d complexity that traditional manufacturing struggles to achieve,” she said, highlighting its value in both pre-operative planning and personalised treatment.

BUILDING HEALTH WITH PRECISION

Additive manufacturing, she

explained, constructs objects layer by layer from digital models using materials ranging from plastics to titanium and silicone.

It is particularly beneficial in applications requiring anatomical accuracy, biocompatibility, and structural durability— such as surgical guides, dental aligners, or prosthetics.

Juliana described SIRIM’ s role in supporting this technology through its various engineering sections based in Bukit Jalil and Seremban. These include design support, prototyping, simulation testing, and the integration of smart systems using AI, blockchain, and IoT capabilities.

She said:“ We provide end-to-end value chain services, from ideation to final product testing.”

SIRIM also works closely with industry players, including SMEs and medical startups, offering access to equipment rental, quality verification, and technology transfer services.

Juliana added:“ We encourage local manufacturers to approach us early in the product development process.

“ Our facilities are designed to support commercialisation-ready innovation.”

She also touched on the importance of material compatibility in medical-grade printing, saying:“ It’ s not just about design— it’ s about choosing the right material for safety and function. Whether it’ s PLA for prototypes or titanium for implants, the pairing must be precise.”

Looking ahead, Juliana pointed

Dr Juliana Janurudin

to bio-printing— the use of living cells to create tissue structures— as a potential game-changer. While still under research, she noted it signals a shift toward even more personalised and regenerative healthcare solutions.

Her session concluded with a reminder that while technology will continue to evolve, the real focus should remain on how it serves people— a message that echoed SEACare 2025’ s broader theme of healthcare innovation grounded in equity, accessibility, and regional collaboration.- The HEALTH