Clarify MySejahtera ownership before expanding use, health ministry told

 

The health ministry plans to use MySejahtera to fix appointments at government hospitals and clinics.

PETALING JAYA: A think tank has urged the government to stop use of the MySejahtera application until issues over its ownership, security and integrity are ironed out.

Azrul Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, said MySejahtera’s ownership was questionable.

“This has been the problem from the beginning,” he told FMT. “There is no evidence the government actually owns the app or is the sole beneficiary of the massive amount of medical data and personal information collected.”

He said there was no proof a contract had been signed which would clarify these legal and financial issues.

Azrul Khalib.

However, he acknowledged that it would be good to use a digital app to manage healthcare appointments at public facilities.

Azrul’s remarks followed health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa’s statement that the ministry would expand the use of MySejahtera to fix appointments at government hospitals and clinics to curb overcrowding and reduce waiting time.

Zaliha said the appointments could be for outpatient treatment, visits under the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), the healthcare scheme for the B40 group (PeKa B40) and other services.

Azrul said the digital appointments service should work in tandem with the existing service once the issues surrounding the app had been dealt with.

“The challenge is to ensure the ministry can harmonise the two methods,” he said. “It can be done by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing IT systems.”

However, he said, the main problem was not the appointments system but the large number of patients, overworked healthcare workers and limited capacity at hospitals.

Dr Lee Boon Chye.

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said two conditions must be fulfilled before expanding the app’s use.

“The health ministry should have sole ownership of MySejahtera and there should be cyber security safeguards to prevent data leakage,” he said.

He also said the ministry must be prepared to provide alternatives for people without smartphones and those who, for some other reason, could not access the app.

He suggested that the government allow relatives and caregivers to make the appointments for those who are not able to.

Earlier this year, then opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim joined the growing number of calls for the app to be done away with, saying there was little need for it other than for the Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

He said the Public Accounts Committee’s findings into the development and procurement of MySejahtera showed a lack of transparency on the government’s part.

Anwar also said one of the most troubling matters was the “high potential for data leakage”, which made information available to foreign-owned entities.

In October, Public Accounts Committee chairman Wong Kah Woh said the appointment of KPISoft Malaysia Sdn Bhd to develop MySejahtera did not follow procedures set by Putrajaya.

He also said there were no minutes of meetings or supporting documents on the appointment of KPISoft, previously named Entomo.

The committee said Putrajaya must retain full ownership of the app for it to be used in digitising the public healthcare service and must ensure the security of users’ data. - FMT