By Suhaila Shahrul Annuar
GOMBAK, July 10 — The state government is prepared to collaborate with the Health Ministry in strengthening its efforts at digitising citizens’ health records.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said Selangor’s experience in managing digital health records via the Langkah Masuk Dengan Selamat (SELangkah) app is useful, to that end.
“SELangkah, which is currently used by approximately 50 per cent of the (Selangor’s) population, stores citizens’ health records digitally and can be accessed anywhere. We are moving towards digitisation, not only for record-keeping but also to facilitate the wider public.
“For example, if someone moves from one hospital to another with different data networks, their records can still be accessed,” he said during the launch of the Madani Afiat programme yesterday, which was also attended by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Taking place at Dewan Rakyat Batu Caves, the programme, which began at 7am, saw over 1,000 visitors take part in various activities, like dental check-ups, as well as cervical and breast cancer screenings.
Amirudin added that starting from the end of this year, SELangkah is expected to become the main platform for collecting the health records of all Selangor residents, which is aimed at improving the efficiency of healthcare treatment.
“In the past two Selangor State Executive Council meetings, we approved another policy to ensure that SELangkah, which was initially used as a contact tracing device during the Covid-19 pandemic, now becomes an instrument to store health data.
“In addition to sharing health information, the app can also streamline doctors’ tasks in healthcare institutions, as all patient information is available there. It will also enable more a accurate and timely health analysis for individual patients, so that treatment can be promptly provided,” he said.
The Menteri Besar emphasised the importance of cooperation between the local authorities and the State Health Department in strengthening the public health sector, which also includes efforts to combat the dengue epidemic.
“Perhaps within the next two years, we will require all local authorities to have doctors with specialised training and skills in public health.
“Public health is more focused on shaping community attitudes, and our current approach is mainly limited to checking the cleanliness of food premises and the like, but it should encapsulate much more than that,” he said.
