Date: July 2025
Location: IJN Auditorium
About Institut Jantung Negara (IJN)
Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) is Malaysia’s premier heart centre, renowned for its excellence in cardiovascular and thoracic care. Established in 1992, IJN is a tertiary referral centre that performs advanced procedures in cardiac surgery, diagnostics, and rehabilitation. With a strong focus on innovation and patient safety, IJN continuously enhances its infrastructure, systems, and processes to deliver world-class care.
About GS1 Malaysia
GS1 Malaysia is a member of GS1, a global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains. GS1 Malaysia has served as the only authorised issuer of GS1 barcodes and identifiers in Malaysia. Today, GS1 Malaysia supports over 9,000 businesses across retail, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing, helping them implement trusted, interoperable identification and traceability solutions.
Project Overview
In line with IJN’s digital transformation roadmap, the hospital’s Material Management Department (MMD) initiated the implementation of a new barcode scanner system and inventory digitisation project in 2025. Recognising the need for a globally recognised, interoperable standard, IJN collaborated with GS1 Malaysia to align its vendors with the GS1 barcode standard — particularly for medical consumables and pharmaceutical items.
The Challenge
IJN’s previous inventory processes involved diverse barcode formats, including non-standard identifiers and inconsistent labelling practices across vendors. This posed challenges in terms of product traceability, data integrity, inventory control, and compliance with upcoming regulatory requirements (e.g., UDI and national track & trace regulations).
The Solution: GS1 Standard Implementation
In July 2025, GS1 Malaysia supported IJN in conducting a Vendor Engagement Session, with the following goals:
- Standardise vendor barcode labelling using the GS1 system.
- Educate vendors on the use of GS1 Identification Keys (e.g., GTIN, GLN) and symbols.
- Promote adoption of GS1 2D DataMatrix for product identity and traceability.
- Introduce GS1 Malaysia’s 2D Repository Platform for inventory validation and tracking.
GS1 Malaysia also provided technical briefings and tools to ensure smooth onboarding and regulatory alignment for all participating vendors.
Project Rationale and Barcode Implementation Objectives
Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) is undergoing a digital transformation in its warehouse and inventory management processes. This initiative includes the implementation of barcode scanning technology to streamline operations, enhance traceability, and support accurate data capture across the supply chain.
One of the key objectives is to automate manual processes and improve data accuracy for stock handling and inventory visibility. In the healthcare environment, barcode systems are particularly effective in supporting clinical documentation, recall readiness, and overall operational efficiency.
Through preliminary engagement and system prototyping, IJN recognised that a significant portion of its vendors are already using globally recognised GS1 barcode standards. The comprehensive structure of GS1 identifiers provides consistent product information critical for healthcare logistics.
As a result, IJN has adopted GS1 standards as the foundation for its barcode system, and will be encouraging alignment among all vendors to support standardised, efficient, and interoperable inventory management practices.
Future Plans
As part of IJN’s long-term digital warehouse transformation, the hospital plans to scale the GS1 implementation across all material management checkpoints and vendors. GS1 Malaysia will continue to provide onboarding, verification, and technical support as vendors transition from 1D to 2D barcode formats.
Conclusion
This initiative demonstrates IJN’s commitment to excellence in healthcare logistics and supply chain transparency. Through the strategic partnership with GS1 Malaysia, IJN is setting a benchmark in adopting global standards for better patient outcomes, regulatory compliance, and digital readiness.
Contact GS1 Malaysia
If you are a healthcare provider, medical device supplier, or logistics partner interested in improving traceability and inventory efficiency, contact GS1 Malaysia for expert guidance and free briefing sessions.
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Vendor engagement session conducted by GS1 Malaysia and IJN
Participants at the GS1 vendor engagement session learn why GS1 matters