Happy New Year everyone.
As is the norm, we all make New Year resolutions. For most of us, it’s very ambitious and by the 1st of February or slightly later, we have given up the idea of achieving any of the lofty goals we set.
In healthcare though, at least for patients, we all want to get healthier and live more productive lives. Going through procedures, treatments and a gamut of doctors, we all try to be optimistic.
2026 for us at Vital Signs Asia will also be an important year. This journey began in Dec of 2024 with a launch by the former DG of Health, Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah, and in his address, he mentioned the importance of patient advocacy for the benefit of healthcare professionals.
2025 has seen us be a part of important discussions on healthcare in Asia, a part of the ASEAN meetings, mini- conferences with universities, international symposiums both in KL and outside of the country.
But for our new team, our pivotal event was the Kuching Roundtable on Healthcare in Nov last year. At this event, we had experts from local councils, clinicians, volunteers, civil society organisations in a room together to understand the on-the-ground issues. This was truly a first for Malaysia.
So, our learning in 2025 has led us to develop and plan optimistically for this year.
Something we are very passionate about has been saving lives through awareness, education and early screening/intervention. This is HealthCare in an essence, because it means teaching and helping the public take Care of their Health. This means creating avenues to Be Healthy. Not just wait for a hospital visit, which is essentially SickCare.
In line with this, we will be partnering with several organisations to activate on-ground screening processes. The first of such partnership will be with the National Cancer Society Malaysia.
Starting this 25th of January, we will commence screening for public at several different locations around Malaysia. These screenings will help you ascertain what your current health condition is. If it’s great, you get the opportunity to share with others what you’re doing that keeps you healthy. If it’s less than perfect, you will get access to healthcare professionals and us to help you achieve your optimum health.
Our resolution this year is for you. It’s about getting more of you to know more about your health and developing plans and strategies to help you achieve better health. As we go through the year, we will continue to add and suggest new processes as more partners come aboard to do this.
Our key metric is to reach more of you in the spaces you are located to help with this endeavor. Whilst we do that, we will identify champions, and train them to reach out and help others.
While we start this here in our own backyard in Malaysia, we will work with other agencies to replicate this in other neighbouring countries when able to. As we use tried and tested strategies that have worked in other countries, we aim to develop teams that are able to activate this with precision, flexibility and effectiveness for the masses.
As we go through the year, we will build on this momentum and continue to reach out to areas with more like-minded organisations who want to help.
Take the first step by registering for the programme, knowing your numbers, and making informed choices that protect not only your own wellbeing, but the health of those who depend on you. Start 2026 with clarity, confidence, and a commitment to managing your health, today and for the years ahead.
