Healthcare and MedTech leaders across Southeast Asia remain confident in their organisations’ ability to meet near-term healthcare demands, but nearly all expect significant pressures to test that readiness over the next few years.
According to the inaugural ASEAN Care Readiness Index 2026, commissioned by Messe Düsseldorf Asia, 94% of healthcare and MedTech leaders across six ASEAN markets said their organisations are prepared for the next three to five years.
At the same time, 98% identified at least one development that could place significant pressure on future readiness.
The Index surveyed 300 senior healthcare and MedTech decision-makers across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Digital transformation and artificial intelligence emerged as the most frequently cited future pressure overall, selected by 54% of respondents.
Digital health and AI were also identified as the single biggest capability gap by 44% of respondents, more than twice the proportion citing MedTech innovation, which ranked second at 17%.
Investment priorities point in the same direction.
Sixty per cent of respondents said digital health, AI, data and interoperability should be prioritised for investment, making it the leading investment priority in every market surveyed.
However, technology implementation capability was also identified as the most common barrier to future readiness, cited by 54% of respondents.
Workforce capacity and skills followed at 46%.
The findings suggest that healthcare systems are not only facing a technology gap, but an implementation gap, where the ability to integrate and operationalise digital systems may determine whether investment translates into meaningful improvements in care.
Pressure points also vary considerably across the region.
In Singapore, ageing populations and workforce shortages were the joint leading concerns, each cited by 48% of respondents.
Digital transformation and AI ranked as the leading pressure in Indonesia at 66%, Vietnam at 62% and Malaysia at 52%.
Thailand’s most commonly cited challenge was growing rehabilitation and long-term care demand at 54%, while the Philippines identified rising healthcare demand as the leading future pressure, also at 54%.
In the Philippines, technology implementation capability was identified by 60% as a significant barrier, while 58% pointed to funding and investment constraints.
The Index assesses readiness across four areas: workforce; infrastructure and technology; future care and rehabilitation; and MedTech innovation and supply chains.
Lars Wismer, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf Asia, said healthcare systems across Southeast Asia are confronting several structural changes simultaneously.
“Confidence is a strong starting point, but readiness cannot stand still. Healthcare systems across Southeast Asia are navigating technology adoption, workforce constraints, ageing populations and changing models of care at the same time.”
He added that investment in technology needs to be matched by the workforce and infrastructure required to implement it effectively.
“The opportunity now is to strengthen the connections between these areas, ensuring investment in technology is matched by the people and infrastructure to implement it, and that innovation responds to how and where care will increasingly be delivered.”
The findings also highlight the increasing importance of care beyond acute hospital settings.
Ageing populations, rehabilitation demand and workforce constraints are pushing healthcare systems to consider new models spanning community care, independent living, preventive healthcare and longer-term recovery.
Messe Düsseldorf Asia will formally unveil the Index alongside Medical Fair Asia, Medical Manufacturing Asia and the inaugural RehaCare Asia in Singapore from 9 to 11 September 2026.
The Index findings will also form the basis of a panel discussion examining future healthcare and MedTech readiness across Southeast Asia.
Taken together, the findings suggest that ASEAN healthcare systems remain confident in their current capabilities, but future resilience will depend increasingly on their ability to deploy technology effectively, build workforce capacity and adapt care models to ageing populations and changing patient needs.
