Introduction: Health as Indo-Pacific Resilience

The COVID-19 pandemic did more than strain national health systems—it revealed the interconnected vulnerabilities of the Indo-Pacific region. From overwhelmed hospitals to data fragmentation, it exposed the urgent need for stronger public health infrastructure and coordination. For Southeast Asia, where urbanisation, population ageing, and climate-related health risks are intensifying, building resilient health systems has become a top regional priority (ASEAN, 2021). The crisis also demonstrated that no country can face future health threats alone. Regional resilience in healthcare is no longer optional—it is essential.

At the same time, the pandemic served as a catalyst for innovation. Across Asia, we witnessed a surge in telemedicine, AI-assisted diagnostics, mobile health apps, and real-time epidemiological surveillance. These tools introduced the possibility of shifting from reactive care to predictive, preventive, and personalised health systems. However, without shared governance models, interoperable infrastructure, and an empowered workforce, these innovations risk remaining fragmented and inaccessible to many (Lee et al., 2021).

Taiwan’s experience and the New Southbound Policy (NSP), alongside ASEAN member states’ growing digital health strategies, present a timely opportunity for collaborative progress in the Indo-Pacific. Countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have begun implementing digital health ecosystems to address care gaps and strengthen health security. This essay explores how regional cooperation—particularly through smart healthcare—can be advanced through shared technologies, talent development, and the leadership of young changemakers across Asia.

The Taiwan Experience: Innovation Amid Constraint

Taiwan presents a compelling model of healthcare innovation, particularly in its proactive adoption of digital technologies to address systemic challenges. Confronted with a declining birth rate and increasing pressure on public health infrastructure, Taiwan has long invested in medical technologies and digital solutions. The nation has developed robust telemedicine regulations, leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) for diagnostics, and explored blockchain-based health data systems to secure patient information and improve system interoperability. Hospitals across Taiwan are implementing AI-assisted diagnostics, smart imaging, and integrated electronic medical records to enhance patient care and operational efficiency (Intralink, 2020).

Through the New Southbound Policy (NSP), Taiwan has actively shared its expertise with neighboring countries, aiming to strengthen human capital and promote health resilience across South and Southeast Asia. Initiatives under the NSP include medical training partnerships, the establishment of smart hospital systems, and the integration of Taiwan's health care and biotechnology supply chains into the region's health care systems . These efforts reflect Taiwan's commitment to building long-term cooperation and fostering regional prosperity through the exchange of knowledge and technology (MOFA, 2018).

Taiwan's smart healthcare initiatives represent a blueprint for cross-sector innovation that balances high-tech solutions with social inclusiveness. By integrating its leading-edge information technology capacities with innovative medical management, Taiwan is establishing a smart health environment that addresses both technological advancement and equitable access to care. This approach underscores the importance of international collaboration in developing resilient and inclusive health systems, positioning Taiwan as a key knowledge partner in the Indo-Pacific region (Tsai, et al., 2024).

Southeast Asia’s Smart Health Momentum

Southeast Asian countries have begun accelerating their own digital health transformations. In Malaysia, the Mahkota Medical Center in Melaka has implemented a Smart Ward, integrating real-time monitoring, automation, and digital records to improve patient care and operational efficiency (Mahkota Medical Center, 2023). Meanwhile, The University of Malaya is actively advancing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare, focusing on diagnostics and patient profiling. Through its eHealth Unit, the university's Robotics and Artificial Intelligence section is dedicated to developing AI tools aimed at enhancing diagnostic processes and patient management . These initiatives include exploring the use of AI in medical diagnostics and management tools, as well as addressing ethical and legal considerations in healthcare applications (University of Malaya, n.d).

In Indonesia, the Ministry of Health has taken bold steps in advancing its Digital Health Transformation Strategy through platforms such as SATUSEHAT—a national health data exchange that aims to integrate patient records across public and private providers (MOH, 2023). This has improved interoperability and enabled the development of predictive tools for pandemic surveillance and chronic disease management. In parallel, Indonesia has piloted telemedicine services, including through public-private collaborations like HaloDoc and SehatPedia, helping to close healthcare access gaps in remote areas (HaloDoc, 2025).

Across ASEAN, other countries are investing in e-health strategies, mobile diagnostics, and disease surveillance systems. But adoption remains uneven. Many innovations are isolated in pilot stages or trapped in institutional silos, lacking the shared frameworks needed for scale and sustainability.

A Vision for Smart, Inclusive, and Collaborative Healthcare

A major roadblock in this landscape is geopolitical fragmentation. Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO), weakens regional and global preparedness. As Canada’s former Minister of Health, Tony Clement, has stated during his session at the 2025 Yushan Forum, Taiwan’s leadership in smart, AI-powered, and personalised medicine is an asset the world cannot afford to ignore. This exclusion not only limits Taiwan’s ability to contribute to WHO technical platforms—it also narrows the opportunities for other countries to benefit from its innovations. In a region as interconnected as the Indo-Pacific, excluding a key health innovator risks collective vulnerability.

The future of health in this region must be cooperative, data-driven, and inclusive. Regional players must invest in interoperable health data systems that protect privacy while enabling real-time insights. Blockchain technology, when used to decentralize health records, can enhance trust in data sharing, especially across borders (Kumar, et al., 2023). AI and robotics offer opportunities for early detection, drug development, remote diagnostics, and even automated surgery.

However, technological adoption without talent is unsustainable. A successful smart healthcare system requires an ecosystem of skilled workers—from AI engineers and roboticists to frontline nurses and community health workers. Taiwan and ASEAN must co-create regional talent pipelines, joint fellowships, and clinical exchange programs. These partnerships can be rooted in the NSP and ASEAN’s own post-2025 health agenda, especially through platforms such as the ASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Center (ABVC) and ACPHEED.

The Way Forward: Common Perspective for Advancing Well-Being in the Indo-Pacific 

To realise the promise of smart, integrated healthcare in the Indo-Pacific, we must shift from fragmented experimentation to structured cooperation. The first step lies in reimagining how health data is governed across borders. As digital health systems evolve rapidly in both Taiwan and ASEAN, a shared regional framework on health data governance—prioritising privacy, interoperability, and equitable access—is urgently needed. Such a framework would enable timely disease surveillance, facilitate research collaboration, and ensure that digital tools serve patients, not just platforms.

Infrastructure is another critical pillar. Smart wards, robotic-assisted surgeries, and AI diagnostics should no longer be exclusive to elite hospitals or major cities. Through public–private partnerships, countries can work together to equip more hospitals with these technologies, creating regional benchmarks and ensuring knowledge transfer. Taiwan’s expertise, especially in hospital digitisation and smart solutions, offers valuable blueprints for replication and adaptation across ASEAN.

At the same time, empowering young innovators is key to making these systems future-ready. Youth is essential to this transformation—not in the distant future, but today. As digital natives, they bring a fresh lens to outdated systems. We see healthcare not only as a system of treatment but as a space for innovation, equity, and collaboration. Imagine youth-led innovation hubs—spaces where medical students, engineers, and digital designers collaborate on practical healthtech solutions tailored to their local contexts. These hubs could serve as incubation spaces for low-cost diagnostics, digital mental health apps, or community-driven health platforms.

This vision also demands new models of capacity building. Joint certification programmes, cross-border fellowships, and digital health training modules must become the norm—not the exception. By embedding co-learning into the fabric of health systems, Taiwan and ASEAN can co-develop a new generation of health professionals who are as fluent in AI as they are in empathy.

Finally, we must confront the reality that regional health cannot be advanced if key partners are left out of the room. Taiwan’s meaningful inclusion in health dialogues—whether through ASEAN platforms or global forums—should not be a political question but a practical one. The Yushan Forum and the NSP framework can play a crucial role in facilitating this inclusion by showcasing real-world collaboration and fostering evidence-based advocacy. Together, these steps form a path forward that is as bold as it is necessary—a path where youth are not only invited to the table, but empowered to shape it.

Conclusion: Building the Future of Regional Healthcare, Together

The future of healthcare in the Indo-Pacific will not be defined by technology alone, but by our willingness to collaborate across borders, sectors, and generations. Taiwan and ASEAN have already shown what is possible—through smart wards, AI-enabled diagnostics, digital health frameworks, and training exchanges. These efforts, though scattered, are early signals of a new kind of health diplomacy: one that is agile, people-centred, and driven by shared values rather than political divisions.

However, achieving this vision requires courage—to include partners like Taiwan in global conversations, to invest in talent as much as tools, and to trust youth with leadership, not just participation. Regional health resilience is a long-term endeavour, one that depends on consistent cooperation and mutual learning. If countries can jointly develop interoperable systems and invest in inclusive innovation, the Indo-Pacific will not just weather the next health crisis—it will lead the global conversation on what resilient, equitable health systems look like.

Young people stand ready to play this role. With the right platforms, resources, and recognition, we can shape health futures that are more just, more intelligent, and more inclusive. As a generation shaped by disruption, we understand what is at stake. Now, we ask to be trusted—not only to imagine a better healthcare system, but to build it.

References

ASEAN. (2021). ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda (2021–2025). ASEAN Secretariat. https://asean.org/book/asean-post-2015-health-development-agenda-aphda-2021-2025/ 

HaloDoc. (2025). About Us. https://health.halodoc.com/tentang-kami/ 

Intralink. (2020). Healthcare Taiwan: Digital Transformation and Advanced Therapies. https://www.intralinkgroup.com/Syndication/media/Syndication/Reports/Taiwan-Digital-Healthcare-Report-June-2020.pdf

Kumar, R., Arjunaditya, Singh, D., Srinivasan, K., & Hu, Y.-C. (2023). AI-Powered Blockchain Technology for Public Health: A Contemporary Review, Open Challenges, and Future Research Directions. Healthcare, 11(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010081  

Mahkota Medical Center. (2023). Mahkota Medical Centre Pioneers The Launch Of Malaysia’s First Next-Gen Smart Ward And Accelerates The Speed Of Digital Adoption In Healthcare. https://www.mahkotamedical.com/about-us/media-coverage/mahkota-medical-centre-pioneers-the-launch-of-malaysia-s-first-next-gen-smart-ward-and-accelerates-the-speed-of-digital-adoption-in-healthcare 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taiwan (MOFA). (2018). Premier Lai touts New Southbound Policy medical cooperation plan. https://nspp.mofa.gov.tw/nsppe/content_tt.php?post=136265&unit=&unitname=Taiwan-Today&postname=Premier-Lai-touts-New-Southbound-Policy-medical-cooperation-plan 

Ministry of Health, Republic of Indonesia (MOH). (2025). Learn More About SATUSEHAT.https://satusehat.kemkes.go.id/#ilustration 

Tsai, F.-J. J., Chen, B., Yang, H.-W. U., & Huang, S. (2024). Sustainability and resilience in the Taiwanese health system. Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR). https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_PHSSR_CAPRI_Taiwan_2024.pdf 

University of Malaya. (n.d). The UM eHealth Unit. https://ehealth.um.edu.my/ 

This article is written by Andy Fernanda Probotrianto - Representative of Indonesia - Youth Observer Delegate - Yushan Forum 2025