PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s healthcare digitalisation drive has recorded more than 4.21 million registered users and over 22.41 million digital transactions as of April 2026, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said the transactions, averaging 75,000 a day, reflect growing adoption of the Health Ministry’s digital health ecosystem as the government pushes ahead with efforts to modernise healthcare services nationwide.
Dzulkefly said the National Digital Health Ecosystem and Connectivity Catalyst (Persada) programme embodied the Madani government’s commitment to ensuring fair, fast and inclusive access to healthcare for all Malaysians.
“The ministry is determined to bring an end to the era of manual records and burdensome paper-based systems.
“Digitalisation is no longer merely a supporting tool or a luxury option. It is the backbone of the country’s healthcare reform agenda,” he said at the MoU signing ceremony between the ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for Persada here on Monday (June 15).
Dzulkefly said the ministry was moving aggressively towards its “One Individual, One Health Record” vision, under which Malaysians would be able to access their medical records regardless of where they sought treatment.
“It ensures continuity of care without patients having to repeatedly recount their medical history at registration counters,” he said.
He added that data generated through the digital ecosystem was enabling the ministry to map disease risks within communities more accurately, helping to shift the healthcare system from a “sick-care” model focused on treatment to a preventive healthcare approach.
Dzulkefly said the benefits of digitalisation were already being felt on the ground, with data showing that eight in 10 patients now received treatment within an hour, while 63% waited less than 30 minutes.
He said healthcare workers had also benefited from reduced administrative burdens, allowing doctors and nurses to spend more quality time attending to patients.
“That is the true value of technology,” he said.
To realise the “One Individual, One Health Record” vision nationwide, Dzulkefly said a stable digital infrastructure was essential.
“Even the most advanced system will fail without reliable internet connectivity,” he said.
The Persada initiative, developed in collaboration with the Communications Ministry and MCMC, is centred on four key components: upgrading broadband infrastructure across public healthcare facilities, strengthening Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, integrating the Malaysia Virtual Health Assistant System (MyVAS) with MCMC’s National Information Dissemination Centres (Nadi) and exploring drone technology to deliver critical medical supplies to remote areas.
Dzulkefly said the initiative would cover 150 government hospitals and 2,488 public healthcare facilities nationwide.
“This is our promise. Not a single healthcare facility, including a rural clinic in the most remote corner of the country, will be left behind,” he said.
He said the true measure of digital transformation would be when patients in remote areas could access specialist consultations without having to endure hours of travel.
Dzulkefly said the ministry is currently prioritising connectivity upgrades at 500 health clinics out of more than 3,000 MOH clinics nationwide.
He said several areas had already achieved full connectivity coverage, including Perlis, Langkawi and Labuan.
“In Perlis, all facilities are already connected. Langkawi is also fully wired, not only between clinics but also with Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (in Alor Setar, Kedah).
“Labuan is another territory that has achieved comprehensive connectivity,” he said.
Dzulkefly said the ministry was aiming to expand the network nationwide by the first quarter of 2027.
“Our target, if possible, is to achieve connectivity throughout the entire country by Q1 2027, and we are ramping up efforts as quickly as possible,” he said.
