PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has made strides at the global stage in the innovation and health sectors despite overwhelmed with efforts to stem Covid-19 when the pandemic was at its peak in the country last year.
Apart from improving its ranking in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020, which saw the country jumping two spots from number 35 to 33 out of 131 countries, Malaysia also ranked eighth in Asia in the same index according to a report released by top business graduate school – INSEAD (originally known as the Institut European d'Administration des Affaires) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said Malaysia through the ministry also earned several international recognitions during the same year for the efforts implemented in the country to curb Covid-19.
Among the achievements included Global Health Awards 2020 awarded to Infectious Disease Department head Dr Suresh Kumar and Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Department head Dr Shaiful Azman Zakaria as well as the entire team at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
"The ministry was accorded with a special award during the Malaysia Technology Expo 2020 Special Edition: The Covid-19 International Innovation Awards that took place between July 1 until Nov 2 last year.
"Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and I were also nominated as candidates to represent the Western Pacific Region (WPRO) at the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s Executive Board (EB) for the 2021-2024 term.
"The achievements are recognition from the global community to the ministry for our contribution and achievement in many fields including the Covid-19 pandemic management, digital health innovation, mental health as well as the management of non-communicable diseases.
"The awards and recognitions are 'bonuses' of sorts, acknowledging the hard work among members in the ministry that will enliven our spirit for us to continue providing the best services to the people," said Dr Adham in his speech at the ministry's Innovation Day celebration here today.
Present were his deputy Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah and Dr Noor Hisham.
On the battle against Covid-19, Dr Adham said the ministry has created several initiatives which included collaboration with several ministries and agencies as well as higher education institutions in the public and private sectors to prepare for any possibilities should the pandemic in the country go out of control.
He said among the initiatives included improving on modern health technology sector under the Health Engineering Innovation Strategic Collaboration programme.
Among the three innovations produced under the strategic collaboration programme, were ventilator prototype using 3D printing technology jointly developed by the ministry with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; the development of the 'Splitter Kit' ventilator at the National Institute of Health.
He said other innovations produced under the programme was the building and assembling of a Field Hybrid Intensive Care Unit (FHyICU) to treat Covid-19 patients currently being used at the Banting Hospital.
Dr Adham also urged research institutions to grab the incentives available for inventors and product developers available under the Intelectual Property Commercialisation Policy for Research and Development.
"Apart from outputs product from conducting the research, there are outcomes and incomes which could be developed as products for the use of the ministry and can be commercialised."