KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 – The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) today proposed adapting MySejahtera to store personal health records as the Covid-19 app is already linked to individual IDs and is non-transferable.
MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai cited the lack of an centralised electronic medical record (EMR) system in the country that keeps the population’s health records.
“There is a need for an electronic medical record system that is secure and accessible by the health care providers in order that there is seamless care for the health of the people, unlike now where many a times we see that health care records are not accessible across health care facilities or providers,” Dr Koh said in a statement.
“The MySejahtera app may be utilised as an initial effort to have a health record that can be carried by the individual to allow for access by health care providers as and when needed.”
He, however, stressed that the government must first ensure the security of personal data on MySejahtera.
“Before we can embark on using MySejahtera as a tool to be used in a national electronic medical records system, it is pertinent that the security issues surrounding the app be addressed and soon, as the trust deficit of the public here is very apparent.
“The app cannot and should not be an access to the EMR system whereby one’s full medical history from birth can be accessed, though things may change in the future as the world of information technology evolves and security issues are managed.”
The doctors’ group also urged the government to consider lifting the requirement to check in at public premises with MySejahtera, especially once Malaysia completes transitioning to the endemic phase of Covid-19.
“The use of MySejahtera allowed contact tracing to be done during the height of the pandemic, a feat that would have been impossible without the MySejahtera app. However, it may have outlived its usefulness as a contact tracing app,” Dr Koh said.
CodeBlue recently reported findings from Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that MySejahtera was developed without any contract between the app developer, KPISoft Malaysia Sdn Bhd, and the government, as the private company had created MySejahtera for free in a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative ending March 31 last year.
Cabinet approved last November direct negotiations on MySejahtera with MySJ Sdn Bhd, a company with major corporate leaders on its board that had received MySejahtera’s intellectual property rights and a software licence from KPISoft Malaysia (now known as Entomo Malaysia Sdn Bhd) in an agreement until end 2025 for RM338.6 million. Entomo Malaysia, however, retains ownership of its proprietary software that was used to develop the app.
CodeBlue also reported yesterday that Entomo Malaysia is fully owned by a Singaporean company, Entomo Pte Ltd, that has 28 corporate and individual shareholders registered in various countries and with different nationalities.
Currently, the medical data stored on MySejahtera includes positive Covid-19 test results. People with the coronavirus must also fill in daily health assessments on the app to enable quick access to care should their condition worsen.
