KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- KPJ Healthcare Berhad (KPJ Healthcare), Malaysia's first private academic healthcare system, has emerged as ASEAN's strongest healthcare facility brand in the Brand Finance ASEAN 500 2026 report. It recorded a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 86.8 out of 100.
KPJ Healthcare also clinched second place among ASEAN's most valuable healthcare facility brands, with its brand value rising 45 per cent to USD305 million from USD211 million in 2025.
In a statement today, KPJ Healthcare said the achievement followed a 71 per cent increase in 2025, extending the group's brand value growth for a second consecutive year.
"KPJ Healthcare climbed 49 places in the overall ASEAN 500 ranking across all industries, from 231st in 2025 to 182nd in 2026, placing it among the region's 200 most valuable brands," the statement read.
KPJ Healthcare managing director Prof Datuk Dr Hanafiah Harunarashid said the achievement holds special meaning for a Malaysian healthcare institution that has strengthened its position at the regional level.
"Our priority is to advance specialist care, develop healthcare professionals and translate research and innovation into better treatment outcomes and patient experiences.
“Through the KPJ Health System, we leverage these strengths to realise our Care for Life commitment," he said.
The KPJ Health System brings together KPJ Healthcare's hospitals, KPJ Healthcare University and its research capabilities through three main pillars: Practice, Education, and Research and Innovation.
This enables the group to develop its own healthcare professionals, advance specialised expertise and conduct research guided by clinical practice needs.
According to KPJ Healthcare, this depth of expertise was recently demonstrated by Damansara Specialist Hospital 2, which set a Southeast Asian record by performing 35 robot-assisted minimally invasive heart surgeries within 90 days.
The hospital also became the first in Southeast Asia to introduce Supine High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound technology for the non-surgical treatment of fibroids, while KPJ Selangor Specialist Hospital performed the first minimally invasive procedure in Asia Pacific using the HOBBIT cement screw.
Earlier this year, 11 KPJ hospitals were listed in Newsweek's Best Private Hospitals in Asia 2026, while the group also received the Hospital Group of the Year (Malaysia) and ESG Programme of the Year (Malaysia) awards at the Healthcare Asia Awards 2026.
KPJ Healthcare also clinched the Malaysia – Best Cash Management Deal award from Euromoney this year, along with two recognitions at the Corporate Treasurer Awards 2026 for excellence in cash management and sustainability across Southeast Asia.
In addition, revenue from KPJ Healthcare's health tourism segment rose 21 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the statement said KPJ is expanding its specialist capabilities through Centres of Excellence in cardiology and pulmonology, neurosciences and stroke, and orthopaedics and rheumatology, targeting 15 such centres by 2030.
"The programme aims to strengthen clinical expertise, improve care coordination for complex cases and raise the standard of clinical service delivery across KPJ's hospital network," the statement read.
KPJ Healthcare is further strengthening its clinical and academic capabilities through strategic collaborations with international medical institutions, including Mayo Clinic, Singapore Health Services and the Royal College of Surgeons of England, in clinical research, medical education and digital health development.
Beyond this, the group plans to launch the Future Health Institute in 2027 to intensify research and the application of digital health technology in clinical practice across its hospital network.
-- BERNAMA