KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) plans to implement digital health transformation within four to five years through the “One Individual One Record” system, starting with electronic medical records (EMR) at all health facilities.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, in a written reply to Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee in the Dewan Rakyat last July 11, said the MOH is adopting a new strategy through its Digital Health Division to formulate a holistic, future-ready, and future-proof digital health plan.
This “Reform, Relook, Recalibrate, and Realise” strategy includes consolidating digital units within the MOH, reviewing all digital systems at the MOH, setting new digitalisation strategies based on the latest technology trends, and subsequently implementing and monitoring the planned implementation.
Dzulkefly said the ministry engaged several chief information officers (CIOs) in the health care industry to discuss EMR implementation recently, focusing on the role of CIOs in facilitating interoperability and sharing health records between health facilities.
A roundtable session with key opinion leaders and other health care agencies is planned later this year to refine the MOH’s digitalisation strategy.
“This initiative is a major effort by the MOH that will be carried out in phases, considering the planning, implementation, and allocation that must be prioritised,” Dzulkefly said.
A significant achievement in the digitalisation strategy has been the expansion of MySejahtera’s integrated appointment system at government health facilities.
The MySejahtera appointment system application was launched on January 1 last year, covering 13 main health services at MOH’s health clinics (klinik kesihatan) and dental clinics.
“As of June 2024, 924 out of 1,093 (85 per cent) health clinics and 638 out of 694 (91 per cent) dental clinics are actively using the MySejahtera appointment system,” Dzulkefly said in a separate July 11 written reply to Tangga Batu MP Manndzri Nasib.
“To further expand and enhance the use of the appointment system, the MOH aims for 100 per cent use of the MySejahtera appointment system in health clinics and dental clinics by 2024,” Dzulkefly added.
The MOH envisions MySejahtera as the “Digital Health Front Door” that allows users to access various health services through a single platform, such as making appointments, obtaining virtual medical consultations, accessing health records, managing medications, and receiving the latest health information and education easily and quickly.
The MOH also targets the expansion of virtual consultations or telemedicine for follow-up services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), infectious diseases, maternal health (antenatal), family planning, and other services at its 1,093 health clinics nationwide.
Dzulkefly said the expansion of telemedicine services has increased by 65 per cent from the 376 health clinics that already provided virtual consultation services in 2023.
