Dr Musa Mohd Nordin, Paediatrician
Asst Prof Dr Mohammad Farhan Rusli, Public Health Physician
The Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman concluded that the government was “confused” about the appointment of the developer of the MySejahtera app that was launched 2 years ago in April 2020. [1]
During the period of the pandemic, no other formal contract was inked between the government and the developer, apart from the non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
A whole lot of “confused” ministers and top bureaucrats in the handling of the nation’s national security COVID-19 app is in our opinion an understatement. Their actions exposes a gross dereliction of fiduciary duties of both political and civil governance of the intimate health and personal data of 47 million registered users of the COVID-19 app.
The frantic reassurances of the Health Minister that the MySejahtera application was still owned by the government and that the data and information was in safe hands was met with derision and contemptuous mockery by netizens on social media. [2]
Whilst the government of our southern neighbours have announced that as of 26 April 2022, check-ins are no longer required at most venues except at large events with over 500 people or certain nightlife establishments, our citizens have unilaterally refused to utilize their MySejahtera applications. [3]
Two days following the expose of the MySejahtera ownership fiasco, the apps plummeted by a phenomenal 6.3 million check-ins, a 26% decline on 28 March 2022, the lowest for the year. This is a reflection of the trust deficit in the National Security Council, the Health Minister and his team of advisors, the DG and the CPRC in the MOH and all other related government agencies. [4]
As the Malay proverb goes, “Nasi telah menjadi bubur” describing a pathetic outcome whereby it may be too late to do anything.
Is it really too late or can the situation be salvaged for the security, safety and kesejahteraan (wellbeing) of the nation? Rather than dwell in the specifics of the “confused” bunch of ministers and top civil servants, we would rather be pro-active and suggest the following options to be considered seriously in our joint attempt to transition from pandemicity to endemicity.
Virtually all our national COVID-19 statistics is presently showing a downward trend. It is now probably the right time to cease the MySejahtera check-ins, except for the few select high-risk crowds. It would be a safe cooling off period while we quickly consider our other options.
As part of the nation’s preparedness pandemic plans, everyone would agree that there is a critical need for an app to find and alert the authorities and citizens of the potential of an outbreak or a surge in COVID-19 cases. To track, trace and notify the whereabouts of an infected person. To inform users of the specifics of testing, quarantine, isolation and availability of support. This is after all FTTIS (Find-Test-Trace-Isolate-Support), the bedrock of pandemic management and a vital fulfillment of national surveillance and monitoring. And as an add on to the apps, are the other paraphernalia of mandated check-ins, COVID-19 risk status and vaccination certificates, the last being essential with the reopening of national borders and which requires international validation for travel. [6]
MySejahtera has over time built in virtually of all these features. Like Singapore, we can hibernate the MySejahtera app, but not totally reject it, so that there is the option to reactivate it.
However, this option will only be feasible if the trust issue is sorted out immediately and decisively. Considering that the relevant government ministries and related agencies have failed to solve this matter over the past 2 years, it is only appropriate to hand this over to a task force of experts, headed by other than government appointees to solve the stalemate and regain the public trust and confidence.
And all the more reason for the government to address this trust deficit issue urgently, if as reported, the Minister of Health refuses to drop MySejahtera.
There is definitely a strong call for the government to junk the MySejahtera and build a new digital health applications. But knowing the bureaucracy involved and the opacity of the tender process, it may take too much time and we might just end up with a far inferior health information system from a connected crony.
More realistically, if there is already an up and running end-to-end automation option, which can demonstrate itself to be a better system and is user-friendly, then the government needs to consider this seriously. In the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, national security and safety is of paramount interest and must supersede parochial political interests. The system must have the capacity to be stepped up to serve the national interest within a short space of time.
If the government, as stated repeatedly by the Health Minister claims that the data belongs to the Malaysian government, that it should be a relatively easy task to migrate this “government owned data” to a local app that has no ties to any foreign entities.
The cooling of period of COVID-19, which we are in now must be fully utilized to strengthen the local app so that any issues may be addressed to overcome any eventualities.
The Ministry of Health must immediately expand its e-health division and initiate the movement of all data in house – where there is actually ready to use servers such as the MyHDW – Malaysia Heath Data Warehouse.
In the midst of the public distrust, infringements of their personal rights and encroachments of their intimate personal data, this third end-to-end automation option is the best way forward. The earlier mentioned task force can check out the system to verify and validate its functionality to serve the national cause and protect the security, safety and kesejahteraan of the nation.
Pandemic response over the past 2 years have shown that the most integral part has, is and will always be effective risk communication through trustworthy information and governance.
We must regain and build this trust, hence why we need a clean slate as we move towards a new Health Information System in the form of Electronic Medical records (EMR), telemedicine and all other forms of digitalized healthcare.
This MySejahtera fiasco has not only affected the current pandemic response, but more importantly unless otherwise carefully addressed will impact adversely on our future healthcare transformation plans.
References:
1. https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2022/04/21/pac-government-confused-about-who-appointed-kpisoft-for-mysejahtera/
2. https://www.weekly-echo.com/mysejahtera-fully-owned-by-govt-safety-assured-kj/
3. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid19-tracetogether-safeentry-step-down-2641231
4. https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2022/03/30/mysejahtera-check-ins-fall-21-amid-app-ownership-doubt/
5. https://t.co/dEuI4fHtqx
6. https://drmusanordin.com/2021/01/15/fttisi-the-bedrock-of-covid-19-infection-control/
