A delegation of six Dutch organisations and government officials made a visit to Hospital UiTM on June 13, 2022 (Monday) as part of a trade mission in Life Sciences and Healthcare. The group was led by Ms Marjolijn Sonnema, Vice Minister for Public Health from Ministry of Health Welfare and Sports of the Netherlands (HWS).
Earlier this week, Hospital UiTM exchanged an MOU with the renowned Erasmus University Medical Centre of the Netherlands. This MOU will catalyze new collaborations in the areas of research and knowledge transfer between staffs and students.
“As the Erasmus University Medical Centre is one of the prestigious medical centres in the Netherlands, we’re excited to work together and ensure that we optimize healthcare in both countries with each other’s knowledge,” Professor Dr.Sazzli Kasim, Director of UiTM Hospital is quoted as saying.
Apart from the academic collaborations, the mission initiated dialogues between officials from both governments. Ms. Sonnema had a high level meeting with Dato’ Dr. Haji Noor Azmi Bin Ghazali, Deputy Minister of Health Malaysia.
The Netherlands has vast experience in vaccine development including that for Covid-19, influenza and the Inactivated Polio
Vaccine (IPV). It is a renowned hub for cutting edge pharmaceutical research and has become a hotbed for future vaccine breakthroughs.
Vaccine development was among the key topics of interest. Malaysia has the plan to establish self-sufficiency via local vaccine production and the Netherlands offered to share expertise and best practices in this area.
Fighting Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is also a key priority of Dutch health policy and there was constructive engagements on how to work together with global partners.
Both parties agreed that following the pandemic, digital transformation has gained importance in the healthcare sector. To explore this topic further, the Embassy of the Kingdom in the Netherlands in Malaysia organized a seminar on the theme of Connected Care during the mission.
Dutch companies with expertise in the areas of hospital design and build, pharmacy automation and digital solutions were featured. The event was successful in bringing together key players in Malaysia’s healthcare sector to identify the challenges and opportunities for future partnerships.
