MMA: Private medical practitioners ready to digitalise

KUCHING: Private medical practitioners in Malaysia are ready to digitalise healthcare to provide better patient care, says Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai.

A 2017 survey by the association showed almost 80 per cent private medical practitioners across the country already using personal computers.

“In order for effective digitalisation to take place, cyber connectivity in this country needs to be strengthened. Declared percentage of coverage among populated areas in this country does not translate to the actual situation on the ground when we still have pockets of poor connectivity in Klang Valley itself,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The statement was issued after the third webinar on the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) involving the Health Ministry held Wednesday (Jan 5) to discuss ‘Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Digitalisation of Health Service 2022’.

The panelists were deputy Health director-general (Research and Technical Support) Datuk Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim, MyDigital chief executive officer Fabian Bigar, Social and Economic Research Initiative chief executive officer Dr Helmy Haja Mydin and Dr Koh. Prof Dato’ D r Jamilah Hashim was the moderator.

According to Dr Koh, the webinar was a frank discussion on PPPs as the way forward in healthcare as the country moves towards the completion of the 12MP in 2025.

“Having a merger of public and private sectors will help overcome many difficulties in providing healthcare to the public.”

To see effective PPPs, he said MMA had called for proper engagement with relevant stakeholders to understand the situation in the private sector so that both sectors could have mutually beneficial partnerships.

“There is the wish that increased healthcare spending be allotted in future annual budgets as our economy recovers so we can achieve our goals to reform our healthcare system.

“Do away with silos within the government as well as the private sector. This will enhance PPP programmes.

“It was encouraging to hear the aspirations of the Health Ministry as we move forward to 2025 and hope that plans for more PPPs materialise,” he added.