The 2nd EU-ASEAN Business Council Health Summit was hosted under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in Kuala Lumpur on 27th May 2025. The summit provided an opportunity to discuss healthcare issues in the region, including the changing demographics of an ageing population across ASEAN member states.
The summit explored two key themes:
Sustainable Healthcare Financing and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The Summit discussed the future of preventive care, building resilient healthcare systems, and ASEAN’s roadmap for a resilient and equitable healthcare future beyond 2025. The theme focused on sustainable healthcare financing and its role in addressing regional challenges and improving healthcare systems.
The Summit addressed rising healthcare challenges in the region, particularly the rise of non-communicable diseases and an ageing population across ASEAN Member States. Sustainable healthcare financing was the key discussion topic, offering a promising approach to addressing these challenges by expanding fiscal capacity and improving the current healthcare system.
Delegates and speakers examined actionable solutions that mitigate vulnerabilities, ensure sustainability, and digitise health ecosystems. The discussion focused on how Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can drive innovation and efficiency in healthcare delivery.
The event gathered health leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to shape a more accessible, inclusive, and responsive future for healthcare in Southeast Asia.
Singapore's Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung also met Malaysia's Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and visited health institutions. He was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Health.
Both the Ministers of Health, from Malaysia and Singapore, and senior health officials from Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines presented their perspectives and visions for a resilient healthcare system for the future of the APAC region. The ministers engaged in a detailed discussion on sustainable health financing as part of a ministerial panel.
In addition to Health Ministers and senior officials from ASEAN member states, representatives from the European Commission, and members of the EU-ASEAN Business Council attended the event.
EU-ABC's Health & Life Sciences membership was represented by a group of health experts and professionals. A top health official from both sides of the Johor Strait discusses the lessons learned and challenges faced in creating sustainable and equitable healthcare strategies.
An extensive series of panels and discussions followed, involving experts from across ASEAN's healthcare spectrum. This included high-priority issues such as tackling the rise of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), driving pandemic preparedness, improving self-care, and finally making healthcare delivery more sustainable.
Some of the highlights were: the urgent need to shift focus from curative care to preventive care; why aligning regulatory pathways across the region is imperative; embedding the critical function of sustainability into healthcare systems – just to name a few.
