Shaping the Next Decade of Healthcare Transformation in Southeast Asia
Amid growing demand and limited resources, Southeast Asia’s healthcare sector is under pressure to do more with less. Mr Lu Liang, Vice President and General Manager of Southeast Asia & Pakistan at Becton Dickinson (BD), one of the world’s largest global medical technology companies in medical discovery improvement, diagnostics and the delivery of care, explores how the region can overcome these challenges through collaboration, smart systems, and equity-led innovation.
By: Mr Lu Liang, Vice President and General Manager of Southeast Asia & Pakistan at BD
Southeast Asia’s healthcare systems are fast approaching an inflection point, as they balance fast-growing demand with acute resource constraints. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, the region will face a healthcare workforce shortfall of over 7 million—nearly 40% of the global deficit[1]. For hospital leaders here, this isn’t a future concern, but a reality that has already arrived.
Compared to OECD standards, healthcare capacities across ASEAN countries remain limited, with less than half the number of hospital beds relative to population size, and only a third of the number of doctors and nurses. These gaps are compounded by workflow inefficiencies: Three in four healthcare professionals (76%) in APAC report losing valuable clinical time due to incomplete or inaccessible patient data, with close to one-third (31%) losing over 45 minutes per shift, adding up to 23 full days annually per professional. Additionally, two in five (39%) clinicians report spending less time with patients and more time on administrative tasks than five years ago[2].
At the same time, Southeast Asians are facing increasing health burden. A 14% diabetes prevalence, combined with rising cancer incidence and an aging population, are all factors contributing to a system being asked to deliver more care, more quickly, with fewer hands.
Yet, within these challenges lie opportunity. By 2029, Southeast Asia is projected to become a ~$150 billion market for hospital and digital health services[3]. The challenge is in scaling to meet rising demand without reproducing outdated inefficiencies.
At BD, we believe the answer lies in strategic, sustainable innovation, as well as partnerships with the entire ecosystem of healthcare providers.
Reimagining healthcare delivery in Southeast Asia
As healthcare systems across Southeast Asia grapple with mounting pressures, there is a growing consensus among health leaders that rethinking care delivery is critical. A central opportunity lies in using automation and innovation to ease operational burdens while safeguarding care quality.
To achieve this, healthcare providers are increasingly looking beyond their own walls. Strategic partnerships with technology companies and public-sector allies offer access to scalable tools, clinical expertise, and data-driven models that support more sustainable, equitable systems of care.
In practice, transforming healthcare delivery calls for coordinated improvements across multiple fronts. These five areas stand out as strategic levers where innovation, investment, and collaboration are making the biggest impact:
- Diagnostics & Access
Preventive care remains a major gap in many parts of the region, particularly in women’s health. Scalable diagnostic platforms that support high-throughput screening—for conditions such as HPV—help bridge the gap in areas with limited infrastructure. - Workflow Integration
Connected care solutions integrate medication management, laboratory automation, and clinical monitoring. Hospitals implementing such systems have reported improved efficiency and time saved for frontline staff. - Evidence-Based Innovation
Data is crucial not just for decision-making but also for policy alignment. Global efforts like the XTRACT registry, which track real-world outcomes, support data-driven adoption. These models are being adapted to Southeast Asia. - Public-Private Collaboration
Across countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, industry players are co-investing alongside governments and NGOs in chronic disease programmes, diagnostic capacity-building, and healthcare workforce training, and are designed around national health goals, not just commercial objectives. - Health Equity & Localisation
Community investment funds can help address health equity concerns, by supporting local NGOs and grassroots health projects on access, health literacy, and underserved populations.
Aligning outcomes with system realities
For hospital CEOs and health system leaders, the outcomes of these interventions matter not just clinically, but operationally and financially. Based on peer-reviewed data and partner-reported results from various global and regional implementations, potential benefits include:
• Lower infection rates and improved procedural outcomes in vascular access and interventional care
• Reductions in medication errors and clinician workload when digital infusion systems are used as part of broader Connected Care strategies
• Operational efficiencies gained through pharmacy automation and centralised monitoring, which may free up nursing time for direct patient care
• Earlier diagnosis and faster treatment decisions in diagnostic labs that adopt integrated informatics and microbiology platforms
To be clear, outcomes always depend on local context, implementation maturity, and broader system readiness. What contributes to success is a proven framework, customisable to each hospital’s goals, that can support more sustainable performance over time. Success also hinges on close collaboration between hospitals and their partners on co-defining success that is grounded in their clinical priorities, workforce realities, and strategic roadmap.
Health equity, for instance, remains a complex and urgent challenge in the region. With the aim of achieving equity through access, affordability, and cultural relevance, working directly with NGOs, health ministries, and local leaders is crucial to ensuring technologies and programmes are adapted to the communities they serve. From point-of-care testing in rural clinics to maternal health training programmes in peri-urban areas, co-creation efforts help build capability that lasts beyond the initial investment.
Building sustainable health systems together
The imperative for transformation has never been stronger. Hospitals navigating the next decade of healthcare challenges require not just product excellence, but evidence, training, data infrastructure, and implementation support. In short, true transformation does not happen in a vacuum. It requires alignment across clinical, operational, and financial leadership.
No single organisation will solve Southeast Asia’s healthcare challenges in isolation. But by choosing the right partners—those committed to long-term value, not short-term wins—hospital leaders can build systems that are more resilient, equitable, and ready for the future.
