KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has welcomed the government’s decision to increase funding for the digital transformation of the public healthcare system to RM1 billion, saying the move will accelerate internet connectivity and the rollout of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) across government health facilities.
MCMC said the additional RM350 million, on top of the RM650 million initially allocated, would strengthen the implementation of the National Digital Health Ecosystem and Connectivity Driver, known as PERSADA, while complementing ongoing digitalisation plans for health clinics and public hospitals.
The initiative is expected to support the government’s “One Individual, One Record” aspiration, allowing patient health information to be accessed more efficiently and in a coordinated manner across public healthcare facilities.
MCMC said the whole-of-government approach could significantly accelerate Malaysia’s digital healthcare transformation, bringing forward progress that had previously been projected to take until 2045.
The commission said greater digitalisation would simplify treatment procedures, reduce waiting times and lower indirect costs, particularly for the B40 and M40 income groups.
More than 300,000 patients who seek treatment at government health clinics and public hospitals every day are expected to benefit.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, meanwhile, said 15 government hospitals were expected to be included in the initial rollout under the RM1 billion allocation.
He said the funding would accelerate the implementation of the EMR system while expanding internet access, including public WiFi, at health clinics and government hospitals.
Fahmi, who is also the MADANI Government spokesperson, said he would seek to increase the number of hospitals covered under the initiative beyond the initial 15.
“I will hold a discussion, initially 15 hospitals are expected to be completed but I will ask that this figure be increased further and from 2,000 health clinics, we will try to increase the number that can be managed for this year.
“This increase in allocation is aimed at accelerating efforts for digital access at health clinics and government hospitals as well as the e-medical record programme that we have implemented through the collaboration of MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) and the Ministry of Health,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s National Day Address at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) today.
Fahmi said the pilot implementation of the EMR system at the Padang Besar Health Clinic had already demonstrated the benefits of digitising patient records.
The system allows doctors to access patient information electronically without having to rely on physical documents, helping to save time for those seeking treatment.
Earlier, Anwar announced the additional RM350 million allocation, bringing the total funding for the digital healthcare initiative to RM1 billion, as part of six major initiatives unveiled during his National Day Address.
The allocation is aimed at speeding up treatment and reducing waiting times through the wider implementation of EMR and improvements in digital connectivity.
MCMC said it would continue working closely with the Health Ministry and industry players to develop a robust, interconnected and future-ready digital public healthcare ecosystem. – August 30, 2026