Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 28): MSCM Holdings Bhd, which recently ventured into glove manufacturing, is partnering with Koperasi Persatuan Perubatan Malaysia (KOOP MMA), the investment vehicle for members of the Malaysian Medical Association, to digitalise primary healthcare in the country.

In a statement, MSCM said its subsidiary HS Bio Supplies Sdn Bhd has entered into a strategic partnership arrangement with eMedAsia Sdn Bhd, which is majority held by KOOP MMA, to be its exclusive logistics services provider. It is also investing RM2 million into eMedAsia for a 20% stake.

A digital project initiative started by KOOP MAA, eMedAsia aims to empower private clinics to leverage its digital platform technology to procure medicine, provide telemedicine services and access other healthcare-related services, according to MSCM in a statement today.

As of May this year, eMedAsia has on-boarded almost 2,000 registered private clinics across West and East Malaysia out of the total 6,000 private clinics in the nation, and this number of member clinics is constantly growing, MSCM said.

“Today, MSCM will partner KOOP MMA in eMedAsia Sdn Bhd to take Malaysian healthcare into a new era. Millions of Malaysian will have
the option to consult physicians via their computers and mobile phones instead of physical appointments, and have prescription medicine delivered to their doorstep in the near future.

"Member clinics of eMedAsia will also benefit from 3PL and 4PL services which will lower the cost of inventory investment, and enjoy better rates for bulk purchase arrangement and friendly credit payment terms from suppliers. We are hopeful that with the integration of technology, e-commerce and last-mile logistics, healthcare will become more accessible and more affordable to all Malaysians,” said MSCM executive director Jeff Chong.

3PL and 4PL means third-party and fourth party logistics, with 3PL referring to last mile delivery, while 4PL includes procuring, warehousing, processing, picking and packing.

According to MSCM, eMedAsia has also signed a separate partnership with Geneflux Bioscience Sdn Bhd that will allow its member clinics to access GeneFlux's lab testing services — including Covid-19 testing — via eMedASia's digital platform.

“Although the Covid-19 situation has been managed superbly by the Government on the advice of the Ministry of Health, we need to continue to stay vigilant by reducing our interactions in public. The digitalisation of primary healthcare is timely, as it not only
enables users to access end-to-end healthcare from the comfort of their own home, but it also provides cost savings and new income streams to private clinics which have been facing difficulties in the new economic conditions,” said MMA president Dr Ganabaskaran Nadason.

MMA is the main representative body for all registered medical practitioners in Malaysia, with some 14,000 registered doctors to date.

MSCM shares closed 12 sen or 8.05% higher at RM1.61 today, giving it a market capitalisation of RM812.25 million. The stock has jumped over five times in the last month, from when it was trading at just 30 sen.

Edited by Tan Choe Choe

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