01/08/2026

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SATURDAY | AUG 1, 2026

Malaysian exporters told to tap Brazil’s healthcare market

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) is calling on local exporters to seize emerging oppor tunities in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, driven by the country’s expansion of its health care investments. The agency said Malaysian products are strongly positioned to meet Brazil’s high-volume health care requirements, backed by global manufacturing standards and international quality certi fications. Matrade reported that Malaysian medical device exports to Brazil recorded significant 66.1% growth, reaching RM109.1 million from January to June 2026, driven by strong market demand for high quality medical consumables. This export momentum aligns with a 4.9% rise in Brazil’s con sumption of healthcare materials in the first quarter of 2026. Matrade CEO Datuk Abu Bakar Yusof ( pic ) said the 66.1% growth in Malaysian medical device exports to Brazil demonstrates that domestic manufacturers are highly capable of meeting strict global standards. “As Brazil navigates rising healthcare costs, there is a stra tegic opportunity for Malaysian companies, including MSMEs, to supply high-quality, competi tively priced medical consumables to this massive market,” he added. While global multi

The report said the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and the expansion of healthcare access are major growth drivers for the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry market. Increasing demand for long term therapies, improved health care infrastructure, and govern ment support for pharmaceutical accessibility are accelerating market development across the country, it noted. According to the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases account for about 74% of all deaths in Brazil, highlighting the substantial and growing demand for cardiovascular, diabetes, oncology, and other chronic disease medi cations throughout the country’s healthcare system. Further, the report noted that Brazil’s pharmaceutical industry is experiencing a notable increase in healthcare expenditure, driven by both public and private sectors. In recent years, the Brazilian government has allocated a larger portion of its budget to healthcare, which has resulted in improved access to medications and treatments. As of 2025, healthcare spending in Brazil reached about 9% of gross domestic product, reflecting a growing commitment to health services. This trend is likely to continue, as the government aims to enhance the quality of healthcare and expand coverage. Consequently, the increased funding is expected to stimulate demand for pharmaceutical pro ducts, thereby propelling growth within the market. priority area for improvement. “We are ranked 68th out of the 70 participating economies and this year we will focus on this indicator. “In fact, during the STAR meeting chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, he expressed his commitment to addressing food waste and how we (MPC) can help reduce it,“ he said. Mohamad Norjayadi said progress on weaker performance indicators would continue to be monitored through the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (STAR), General Circular No. 3/2024 and the enforce ment of the Commitment Act to ensure reforms are implemented in phases and effectively. He said continuous improve-ment efforts were crucial to achieving the 13th Malaysia Plan target of placing Malaysia 12th globally by 2030 while raising the national productivity growth rate to 3.6%. – Bernama

o Opportunity for companies to supply high quality, competitively priced medical consumables to Latin America’s biggest economy, says Matrade

Malaysian medical device exports entering the Brazilian market. In May this year, Supermax Corporation Bhd announced that the group’s associate company Supermax Brasil Importadora S/A has set plans to establish a medical glove manufacturing facility in the sate of Parana, with a total investment commitment of about 250 million Brazilian real (about RM195 million). Supermax said the investment is an important milestone in its long term overseas growth strategy, reflecting its continued focus on expanding its presence in Latin America’s healthcare and industrial markets. “The group believes that Brazil presents a compelling long-term growth opportunity due to its large and growing healthcare sector, increasing regional demand for medical and industrial gloves, strategic access to the Mercosur market, and ongoing government initiatives aimed at supporting local manufacturing and reducing import dependency,” Supermax said. According to a report, Brazil Pharmaceutical Industry Market Summary, published by Market Research Future, Brazil’s pharma ceutical industry market size was valued at US$33.70 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow from US$34.4 billion in 2025 to US$42.21 billion by 2035, registering a com pound annual growth rate of 2.09% during the 2025-2035 forecast period.

Brazilian players, including Descarpack, Magnamed, Fanem, Scitech and Instramed, confirm immediate commercial interest on the ground. These distributors are actively working to diversify their supply chains and have identified Malaysia as a preferred partner for bulk consumables and original equip ment manufacturer contract manu facturing. In response, Matrade is facili tating direct business-to-business matching sessions to help Malay sian factories secure private-label agreements and build long-term business partnerships across Latin America. The trade collaboration is further supported by strengthened bilateral ties following the historic participation of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Commitments made during the summit advanced the Asean-Brazil Practical Co operation Areas 2024-2028 and secured strategic tech nology agreements. These diplomatic mile stones are accelerating supply chain diversification and establishing a highly wel coming regulatory environment for healthcare

Offering premium quality at competitive price points, Malaysian medical consumables comply with strict global benchmarks including US Food and Drug Administration approval, CE Marking

and ISO 13485 certifications, making them highly attractive to Brazil’s pro curement offi cers managing tight budgets. Recent en gagements by Matrade Sao Paulo with major

nationals focus heavily on capital machinery, Malaysian manufact urers excel in pro ducing premium, high-volume medical consumables such as syringes, catheters and cannulas. Furthermore, as prices for high-technology medical equipment in Brazil rise by 27.4%, local hospital networks are actively seeking to optimise operational spending.

MPC: Bureaucratic reform elevates Malaysia’s global competitiveness KUALA LUMPUR: The imple

through the e-Licence system implemented in collaboration with the Sabah State Public Ser vice Department. Under the Menumbok, Banggi and Tungku sub district offices in Sabah, the processing time for business licence appli cations had been reduced from 14 days to just three,

Mohamad Norjayadi said the initiative demonstrated how breaking down silos between government agencies could speed up approval processes and reduce busi ness compliance costs. “Previously, both high risk and low-risk appli cations were managed equally within the same ‘basket’, causing approval

Malaysia’s notable rise was largely driven by reform efforts undertaken and we are confident that a key contributor is the RKB implemented across all ministries and agencies,“ Mohamad Norjayadi told Bernama The performance indicators were not merely about improving Malaysia’s rankings but also served as an important reference for ministries and agencies to identify weaknesses and implement structured improve ments, Mohamad Norjayadi said. The impact of RKB could be seen across various ministries and agencies, including the processing time for security vetting and criminal record checks for expatriate pass applications. The process now takes just 15 minutes, compared with up to 50 days previously, following data sharing through the e-Vetting platform and close cooperation between the Royal Malaysia Police and the Immigration Department of Malaysia.

mentation of Bureaucratic Red-Tape Reform (RKB) has put Malaysia on a solid path to improving its global competitiveness, although con tinuous improvements are needed to address several performance indi cators that remain weak. Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) deputy director-general Dr Mohamad Norjayadi Tamam ( pic ) said the impact of RKB was reflected in Malaysia’s rise to 15th place in the International Institute for Manage ment Development’s (IMD) World Competitiveness Ranking 2026, up eight places from 23rd last year. Malaysia’s ranking for bureaucratic performance also improved, climbing to sixth globally this year from 14th last year, earning recognition from IMD Competitiveness Centre director Prof Arturo Bris during the report’s launch. “He specifically mentioned that

with some applications approved immediately, depending on internet connectivity. However, Mohamad Norjayadi cautioned both the public service and private sectors against becoming complacent despite Malaysia’s rise to 15th place, noting that the World Competitiveness Ranking comprises 70 economies. He said food waste remained among the country’s weakest per formance indicators and would be a

delays and increasing compliance costs for traders and investors. Through RKB, we guide ministries and agencies to transition to risk-based approvals and self-regulation for low risk applications.” He added that RKB was also part of the government’s efforts to improve Malaysia’s standing in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index. Beyond the corporate sector, Mohamad Norjayadi said, RKB had also benefitted small rural traders