Malaysia hosted Digitally Inclusive, Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC) Study!

The Digitally Inclusive Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC) study is a cross-cultural study being conducted in Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand since 2021, the start of the Healthy Ageing Decade. In 2024, it extended to India. The study has extended to Malaysia and Vietnam in 2025. Currently, it is in the kickoff in Italy, Belgium, and Nepal. Malaysia ranked no-4 in the population ageing among the ASEAN countries while its social services are progressively digitized.

Recently, the Principal Investigator of the DIHAC study, Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung visited Kuala Lumpur, Slim River City in Muallim district of Perak, and Putrajaya, in Malaysia, to strengthen collaboration on the Digitally Inclusive Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC) study initiative. Professor Mohd Rohaizat Hassan, Investigator of DIHAC study in Malaysia, and his team welcomed DIHAC team from Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan, which consisted of Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung and Associate Professor Yoshihisa Shirayama, from the Department of Global Health Research, at the Graduate School of Medicine and the Faculty of International Liberal Arts, at Juntendo University in Tokyo.  

Figure1: A courtesy visit of DIHAC study team, Juntendo University team and UKM team at the office of Orang Besar Jajahan  (OBJ) Muallim District Governor’s office at Slim River, Perak, Malaysia

Juntendo University team and UKM teamed paid a courtesy call to the office of Orang Besar Jajahan  (OBJ) Muallim District at Slim River, Perak. Leader of the Mualliam district and district officers welcomed DIHAC study. He acknowledged the DIHAC team and expressed the importance of smart phone use among the older persons.

Figure 2: A courtesy visit of DIHAC study team consisting of Juntendo University team and UKM team at District Health Office in Slim River, Perak , Malaysia

District Health Office Chief Dr. Raja Mohd Azim and team welcomed DIHAC study teams at Muallim District Health Office. He informed the researchers about the diverse activities that promote healthy ageing in the closely-knit community. Primary care, specialized care, outreach and community actions are four cores forming the integrated care ecosystem in the district. According to him, digital gap among the older persons is still confronting the health transformation at community level. DIHAC Japan and Malaysia teams held discussions with the district health team on preparations for the full-scale implementation of DIHAC study. The meetings focused on operational planning and coordinating for upcoming research activities. 

Juntendo University team, UKM team and district health office team visited the senior activity center Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (PAWE). They observed the cultural activities and shared meals with PAWE members. DIHAC team elaborated the schedules of PAWE which empower older persons through physical activities, health promotion, positive mind, productivity and supporting each other. The addressed the need to start digital literacy programs in PAWE.

Figure 3: DIHAC study team consisting of Juntendo University and UKM together with members of senior activity center (PAWE), Slim River, Perak, Malaysia

Figure 4: DIHAC study team consisting of Juntendo University and UKM, and District Health Office team visiting a FELDA Sungai Behrang community in Slim River, Perak, Malaysia

Field visits included lifelong learning activities at local Islamic facilities, at the Pondok Muallim religious learning center, where they exchanged views on community-based social innovation models for healthy ageing with the chief and team of the Pondok. 

Furthermore, the teams observed community-based healthy ageing programs, and volunteer initiatives in FELDA Sungai Behrang communities. DIHAC teams observed volunteer-based health screening processes, and other activities such as reciting prayers at Surau and local cultures of gathering, sewing and making batik in the communities. The temperatures hit 37′ C during the visit.

Figure 5: Photo of DIHAC study Malaysia team from the National University of Malysia (UKM) Investigator Professor Rohaizat, Co-investigator Professor Azmawati with DIHAC study PI Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung at Faculty of Medicine, UKM Kuala Lumpur

The visit on the next day, extended to the National University of Malaysia (UKM), Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. Faculty members and DIHAC Malaysia teamed welcomed Professor Myo and Professor Shirayama.  Professor Rohaizat introduced ongoing activities and shared an overview of the local context. DIHAC Malaysia team actively discussed and updated ongoing research. Prof Myo shared the finding of DIHAC study from Japan, ROK, Singapore and Thailand and current landscape in the Asia Pacific region. Afterward, they co-designed future plans for further steps of DIHAC study in Malaysia.

During his stay in Kuala Lumpur, Dr Myo then visited long-term care facilities in Ampang Ritchie to observe care and assisted living practices served by private sector. Limited numbers of facilities are currently serving long term care as Malaysia rely mainly on families for the call of long-term care. He then visited the Malaysia Social Institute that served as venue for the national training programs for care coordinators. 

He also visited the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing®), at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The teams exchanged perspectives with researchers on healthy ageing and digital inclusion in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region. The teams identified the challenges of Malaysia’s rapidly ageing population and its readiness for long-term care and investment in healthy ageing. They exchanged sharable experiences regarding digital literacy training for older persons in the ASEAN, Japan and the ROK.

Figure 6: DIHAC study investigators Professor Rohaizat, UKM, Prof Myo Nyein Aung, Juntendo University with executive and digital health officers at the Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia 

The DIHAC study team held a policy-level meeting with Dr Dinash Aravind and Dr Vivek Jason Jayaraj at the Ministry of Health in Putrajaya on February 13, 2026.  (Figure 5) Digital transformation of health care service is growing fast in Malaysia. The discussions focused on digital transformation in health, data governance, service delivery, the digital ecosystem and scaling up the new MySejahtera application. The DIHAC team shared experiences from other study site cities and insights on promoting digital inclusion among older adults and strengthening regional collaboration. They advocated for the empowering digital inclusion of older persons to go along with the scaling up of the application to population level and innovation by the Ministry of Health (MOH). 

The visit concluded with media engagement TikTok with the National Secretary of Long-Term Care Operations Mr Muntoh Fong. The DIHAC study is expected to assist multi-sectorial, multidisciplinary collaboration for digital inclusion and healthy ageing in Malaysia which is expecting very fast population ageing in coming few years. DIHAC study team acknowledged the contribution and help of PhD students and faculties from UKM and many stakeholders for making this visit real.