Delegation proposes plant-based nutrition as a tool against non-communicable diseases; presents the IVU Guide to Vegan Nutrition and gifts from Vietnamese green businesses.
On the morning of 30 October 2026, a delegation from the International Vegetarian Union (IVU), the Malaysian Vegetarian Society (MVS) and the Health360 Summit 2026 Organising Committee paid a courtesy visit to ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn. Bhd., an agency under Malaysia’s Ministry of Health, at its headquarters in Cyberjaya. The visit opened the delegation’s series of meetings with Malaysian health authorities under the Health360 Summit 2026 programme.
Ms. Sangeeta Krishnasamy, Organising Chair of the Health360 Summit, introduces the delegation at the ProtectHealth Corporation conference room, Cyberjaya, on the morning of 30 October 2026. Photo: Anchay TV
Who was in the room
The delegation was received by Dr. Muhammad Fairuz Abdullah, Head of the Health Advocacy Department, who chaired the session; Pn. Ainur Fadhillah Ahmad Fuad, Chief of Staff; representatives of ProtectHealth’s senior management; and officers of the Health Advocacy Department.
Dr. Muhammad Fairuz Abdullah, Head of the Health Advocacy Department, ProtectHealth, Ministry of Health, chaired the session. Photo: Anchay TV
The nine-member delegation comprised Ms. Marly Winckler, Honorary Chair of IVU; Prof. Dr. Eric Slywitch, International Director of Medicine, IVU; Ms. Maria Julia, nutritionist; Dr. Vythilingam, physician, Advisor and Honorary Chair of MVS; Mr. Raj Kumar Sheth, Vice President of the Asia Pacific Vegetarian Union and Advisor to MVS; Ms. Sangeeta Krishnasamy, Organising Chair of the Health360 Summit; Dr. Aina Fazlin, President of MVS; Mr. Faisal Mansor, Committee Member of MVS; and Mr. Le Vinh Thao, IVU Representative for Asia and Head of Anchay TV Vietnam.
Ms. Sangeeta Krishnasamy, Organising Chair, Health360 Summit 2026. Photo: Anchay TV
The delegation at the meeting table (from left): Ms. Marly Winckler, Prof. Dr. Eric Slywitch, Ms. Maria Julia, Ms. Sangeeta Krishnasamy, Dr. Aina Fazlin, Dr. Vythilingam and Mr. Le Vinh Thao. Photo: Anchay TV
ProtectHealth and the PeKa B40 programme
Introducing the organisation, Dr. Fairuz explained that ProtectHealth is a not-for-profit corporation under the Ministry of Health that coordinates and manages health-financing initiatives. Its flagship programme, PeKa B40, encourages regular health screening to detect hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol early – the three leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Malaysia.
Malaysian adults – NHMS 2023
Source: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023, Ministry of Health Malaysia.
Malaysia: ten years of advocacy and real-world challenges
Dr. Vythilingam, Advisor and Honorary Chair of the Malaysian Vegetarian Society (MVS, active since 1996), said it had taken the Society ten years of advocacy before Malaysia adopted official vegetarian dietary guidelines. Even so, both the share of vegetarians and the share of people eating enough fruit and vegetables remain below 5% of the population.
According to Dr. Vythilingam, the Society has run 20–30-day plant-based challenges at companies including Top Glove, Hitachi and Toshiba. Participants’ blood tests improved markedly, yet only about 10% kept up the diet afterwards. A 30–40-day programme at a monastery in Bhutan also improved blood sugar and lipid levels; participants stayed fully plant-based thanks to monastic discipline – something hard to replicate in wider society.
From that experience, he argued that schools are the most effective setting for intervention, even where meals still include meat, as long as frying, salt and sugar are reduced. He proposed a controlled pilot in one or two schools and offered to volunteer without payment. He also flagged a financial barrier: payers currently reimburse only RM10–30 per consultation and do not cover nutrition counselling.
Brazil’s experience: two million meals a day
IVU representatives shared the “Meatless Monday” model in São Paulo, Brazil, backed by the city government. When the meat industry objected, IVU responded with the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s own dietary guidelines. Within two years the programme expanded to every school in the city, serving about two million meals a day.
IVU formally invited Malaysia to become the first country to support the programme at national level, and noted that the Malay translation of the IVU guide could include a dedicated chapter on Malaysia.
Local research and the 2030 guidelines
Mr. Faisal Mansor, representing the university network, said the decisive step would be the revision of Malaysia’s national dietary guidelines, expected around 2030. The biggest obstacle is the lack of local research: universities are ready but lack funding, and he asked ProtectHealth to consider supporting it. He added that many communities already hold data from health challenges but have nowhere to publish it.
Vietnam: ready to support with media coverage
Mr. Le Vinh Thao, IVU Representative for Asia and Head of Anchay TV, offered media support and promotion of the joint programmes on his channel. He noted that Anchay TV is the first licensed vegetarian media channel in Vietnam and can help spread plant-based nutrition models across the region.
ProtectHealth’s response
Dr. Fairuz clarified that dietary guidelines fall under the Ministry of Health’s Nutrition Division, not ProtectHealth. In practice, he said, patients rarely read guidelines, so there is no need to wait another ten years for a new document – action should start now.
He suggested adding a chapter to the IVU guide on how Malaysians can eat more local fruit and vegetables. On schools, he said the Ministry of Education would be hard to reach, so it would be better to start with kindergartens and private schools, funded through corporate CSR. He also agreed that even Ministry of Health meetings should serve healthy food.
Presentation of the Guide to Vegan Nutrition and gifts from Vietnamese vegan businesses
To close the meeting, the delegation presented ProtectHealth with the IVU “Guide to Vegan Nutrition for Adults”. On behalf of Anchay TV, Mr. Le Vinh Thao presented gifts from Vietnamese vegan businesses – Mật Mơ Rừng – Lá Tía Tô, BL Food, essential oils from Dr Formula and other products – introducing Vietnamese vegan products to the Malaysian partners. The two sides exchanged tokens and took commemorative photos in the conference room and the lobby of ProtectHealth’s headquarters.
Next steps
The two sides agreed on the following: a separate working session with Dr. Fairuz; translating the IVU guide into Malay with an added chapter on local fruit and vegetables; selecting one or two kindergartens or private schools for a controlled pilot, with CSR funding; Mr. Faisal Mansor drafting a research proposal and liaising with the Nutrition Division; and IVU sharing its “Meatless Monday” materials and 14-day menu.
That afternoon the delegation went on to meet Mr. Nazli Suhardi Ibrahim, Director of the Nutrition Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia. Anchay TV News will continue to report.