Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018, KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian companies’ participation in the recent one of the biggest healthcare trade events in the Middle East & North African (MENA) region, Arab Health 2018, ended positively as the 16 Malaysian companies at the event generated a 57 per cent export sales increment compared to last year’s participation. The Arab Health 2018 took place at Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 29th January to 1st February.

Spearheaded by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation’s (MATRADE), the participation of Malaysian companies saw total sales of RM367.1 million recorded. The local companies at the event are mainly in Medical Devices sector offering products of wound care, synthetic bone graft, disinfectants, tubing, catheters, test kids, hospital furniture, hospital grade waste bins and medical gloves.

Mr. Zulkefli Mohd Nor, Production Manager from Worldwide Medivest, a surgical suture manufacturer shared, “We have received a large number of visitors who are interested to form partnerships via distributorship, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and supply of raw material. This is very encouraging for us given the fact that this is our first ever participation in Arab Health. We would like to thank MATRADE for the opportunity given and believe that events such as this provides a platform for us to catapult ourselves into the global market.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Brandt Lee, Export Manager from LKL Advance Metaltech, manufacturer of hospital furnitures said, “This year marks our 12th year participating in Arab Health through the support of MATRADE. It has been an invaluable experience for us every year as the quality of the show is second to none. The opportunity to exhibit alongside other Malaysian counterparts further solidifies our brand positioning.”

According to Mr. Abu Bakar Yusof, Director of Lifestyle and Life Sciences of MATRADE, Malaysia’s exports of Medical Device reached historic heights at RM 19.78 billion in 2017, up 24.9 per cent compared to 2016. “Such increase is partly attributed to our participation in large-scale events such as Arab Health and this year was our 14th year at the event. The event itself has more than 4,200 exhibitors from over 150 countries, in a region where its healthcare expenditure is expected to reach RM780 billion by 2020. For MATRADE, we believe our presence in such exhibition will elevate the potential of Malaysia’s Medical Device sector and enable our companies to grow further within the years to come.”

Apart from the exhibition component, MATRADE through its Dubai office, has organised MATRADE’s signature business matching initiative called International Sourcing Programme or INSP where 378 business meetings took place. During the event, strong interests in Malaysian Medical Devices were seen from UAE, Egypt, Germany, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Rwanda, Iraq, Italy, and Saudi Arabia.

MATRADE, as Malaysia’s trade promotion organisation, will continue to undertake specific Medical Device and Healthcare promotional programmes such as Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia Conference (APHM) (31st Jul – 2nd Aug) and International Rubber Glove Conference and Exhibition (IRGCE) (4 – 6 Sep) this year. MATRADE is also planning to participate in MEDICA Dusseldorf (12 – 15 Nov) - one of the world’s leading events for Medical Device. During these events, Malaysian companies will also take part in MATRADE’s INSP where they stand a chance to meet with potential foreign buyers.

Malaysian companies keen to take part in any of MATRADE’s initiatives may contact MATRADE via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., MATRADE’s social media channels or visit www.matrade.gov.my for details.