PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) says the MySejahtera application is no longer as useful as Malaysia begins transitioning to the endemic phase of Covid-19 from April 1.
In a statement, MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai noted that contact tracing would have been impossible at the height of the pandemic if not for the app, though it may have “outlived its usefulness”.
“With the large numbers of positive cases within and surrounding us, contact tracing will not be adopted on a wide scale as it will not yield the expected results.
“With high transmissions of Covid-19 in the community, the scanning feature of the MySejahtera app for the purpose of contact tracing is no longer as useful as it was in the earlier phases of the pandemic,” he said.
The MMA’s statement comes amid growing calls for the government to discontinue the use of the MySejahtera application.
Dr Koh also added that the the MySejahtera app can be adapted to be used as a personal health record as it is already linked to individual IDs and is non transferable.
“The worry would be security of the data. Looking at what is being shared on social media about the ownership of this app, it is hoped that the government will continue being proactive in securing the trust of the people in the app with the hope that it can ultimately be used in the management of health records in the move towards an effective healthcare system for the country,“ he added.
He also mentioned that the lack of a centralised management system for the population’s health records is a source of concern.
“There is a need for an electronic medical record system that is secure and accessible by the healthcare providers in order that there is seamless care for the health of the people unlike now where many a times we see that healthcare records are not accessible across healthcare facilities or providers.
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 healthcare providers as and when needed,“ he said.
