World Union of Would Healing Societies regional overview: APAC region

Fitting for a region that is home to 4.3 billion people—accounting for two-thirds of the global population (The United Nations Fund for Population Activities, 2025) — the Asia Pacific region will witness a host of projects, programme expansions and initiatives in the wound care sphere over the next 12 months and beyond, with the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) integral to these developments.

In line with the WUWHS’ modus operandi of raising and maintaining the standard of the medical practice of wound care across the globe, it is of particular urgency to enhance education and practice in low- and middle-income countries where often, talented and dedicated healthcare professionals are stymied by the financial burdens put upon them.

It is encouraging to see the WUWHS extending its influence in the Asia Pacific region, with productive meetings held with the Myanmar Wound Care Society prior to the country being struck by a major earthquake in March 2025 (British Red Cross, 2025). 

In addition, the WUWHS programme for education has been expanded to the Philippines (resulting in new wound care associates), as well as tie ins being established with South Korea and China.

The WUWHS is spearheading education programmes by supporting postgraduate certifications and Master’s, as well as PhDs across the region. The WUWHS is also preparing the curriculum and attachment for the Fellowship of the WUWHS. In addition, we are recruiting for societies from member countries and also non-member countries from the APAC region.

The Malaysian Society of Wound Care Professionals (MSWCP) continues to forge ahead with its successful wound kit programme, expanding its rollout in Malaysia. The kits are equipped with advanced wound care dressings, such as hydrogels, foam dressings, silver dressing, alginates, honey, collagen lotion, hydrocolloids and others, and are presented to wound care teams from various hospitals and health centres under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia.

In addition, the MSWCP signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Korean Wound Management Society (KWMA) at the KWMA Congress in April 2025. The MoU aims to enable greater collaboration between the two societies to the benefit of patients and healthcare professionals alike.

The D-Foot International meeting will take place between May 9-10 in Kuching, Borneo, Malaysia. D-Foot International is the implementation arm of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot with the aim of ending avoidable lower-limb amputations due to diabetes worldwide. The D-Foot International general assembly will be held at this conference where I will have the honour of officially becoming President of the organisation, taking over the role from Zulfiqarali G Abbas.

Meanwhile, the AWSA (Australian Wound & Skin Alliance) Summer School was held in Geelong, Victoria, between February 14-15, 2025. It was a great success and covered a range of topics, including inflammation vs infection, investigation and diagnosing, palliative wound care, and psychology of wound healing. Participants, including advanced clinicians in allied health and nursing, nurse practitioners, medical professionals, scientists, and emerging leaders in wound management, had the opportunity at the summer school to engage with experts in the field and debate topics explored in the lecture sessions.

The seventh Global Wound Care Conference takes place between October 10–12 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is the prelude to the World Union of Wound Healing Societies conference in 2026, also in the Malaysian capital. The theme for the Global Wound Care Conference will be ‘Woundformers: Transforming Care Together’, focusing on a multidisciplinary team approach and comprehensive holistic approach to wound management. The conference will offer an extensive programme with keynote lectures, plenaries, symposiums, regenerative and advanced masterclasses, and interactive workshops.

There will be a revival of the Asian Wound Care Association during the Global Wound Care Conference, which will undoubtedly help to improve wound care standards for patients, healthcare professional performance and facilitate regional and international access across all health care systems in the Asia Pacific region.

Healthcare practitioners operating in the Asia Pacific region face multiple barriers to practicing effective wound care, which are a combination of systemic, cultural, geographic and economic challenges. This highlights the importance of sustained wound care education programmes throughout the region and is something that drives the WUWHS.

Healthcare infrastructure disparities exist, often within the same country, as many rural areas lack access to healthcare facilities, skilled professionals or even basic medical supplies. In urban areas, there can be the issue of overburdened systems. In densely populated countries like India, Indonesia or the Philippines, hospitals and clinics are often overwhelmed, making consistent wound care difficult to achieve.

In some countries in the Asia Pacific region, many nurses and general practitioners lack specialised training in wound care, especially for chronic or complex wounds including diabetic foot ulcers or pressure injuries. Advanced wound care specialists are in short supply across the region. This is an area the WUWHS feels it can make a difference.

The prevalence of chronic diseases, particularly diabetes, is increasing, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. This is of particular concern given that diabetes leads to a higher incidence of chronic wounds, which are more difficult to manage. The region sees many people remaining undiagnosed or poorly managed due to limited resources and awareness.

There is limited access to advanced products in some areas of the Asia Pacific as hydrocolloids and NPWT, for instance, can be expensive and unaffordable for many patients or hospitals. Therefore, the roll out of the wound kit programme in Malaysia is hopefully something that can be replicated in other countries in the region in the future.

References:

The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (2025) Population Trends. Bangkok: UNFPA

British Red Cross (2025) Myanmar Earthquake 2025: Recovery Efforts Continue as Thousands Confirmed Dead. London: British Red Cross. Available at: https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/disasters-and-emergencies/world/myanmar-earthquake-2025 (accessed 24.04.2025)