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• DIGITAL COVER

@ green | July-August. 2026

Not a single healthcare facility, including a rural clinic in the most remote corner of the country, will be left behind

� The expanded allocation will drive EMR and connectivity across 150 government hospitals and more than 2,000 public health clinics, with the government targeting faster treatment and shorter queues.

For decades, a visit to a public hospital or clinic in Malaysia has often come with something patients have reluctantly learnt to accept: waiting.

Waiting to register. Waiting for records. Waiting to see a doctor. And sometimes repeating the same medical history because information available at one healthcare facility is not readily accessible at another. Malaysia now wants to change that. The government is committing RM1 billion to accelerate the digitalisation of public healthcare, covering Electronic Medical Records( EMR) and better internet connectivity across 150 government hospitals and more than 2,000 public health clinics.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has made clear what he expects the investment to achieve.

" This will ensure faster treatment and re duce hours-long queues to receive treatment," he said when announcing the allocation in his National Day address.

The additional RM350 million takes the allocation from RM650 million to RM1 billion and gives greater impetus to a much bigger ambition: One Individual, One Record.

The idea is simple. Wherever a Malaysian seeks treatment within the connected public healthcare system, authorised healthcare professionals should have relevant medical information securely and quickly.

�Malaysia wants patient information to move with the patient, giving authorised healthcare professionals faster access to relevant records across public healthcare facilities.

No starting from scratch. Less duplication. A medical history that moves with the patient.

BEYOND GOING PAPERLESS

Malaysia ' s healthcare digitalisation journey is not simply about replacing paper files with screens.

At its heart is PERSADA, the National Digital Health Ecosystem and Connectivity Driver, bringing together the Health Ministry, Communications Ministry and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission( MCMC).

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad describes digitalisation in much s t r o n g e r terms.

�Technology is only the enabler. Success will depend on whether digitalisation reduces waiting times, improves access and productivity, connects rural communities— and earns public trust.

" Digitalisation is no longer merely a supporting tool or a luxury option. It is the backbone of the country ' s healthcare reform agenda." That distinction matters. The programme includes better broadband infrastructure, stronger EMR systems, telehealth, and even exploring drones to deliver critical medical supplies to hard-toreach communities.

But first, Malaysia has to get the foundations right.

" Even the most advanced system will fail without reliable internet connectivity," Dzulkefly said.

The task is considerable. The minister said the additional funding would allow the ministry to accelerate EMR implementation and potentially double the targeted number of public healthcare facilities equipped with digital systems.

ONE PATIENT, ONE STORY

Perhaps the most important element of the transformation is the one patients may never actually see. Medical information can currently sit in different systems and locations. A patient moving between clinics, hospitals and specialists can therefore encounter gaps in that information chain. A genuinely connected EMR system changes the equation.

MCMC says the investment is an important step towards realising the aspiration of " One Individual, One Record ", enabling patient information to be accessed more efficiently and coordinated across public healthcare facilities.

Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil offered a more practical explanation. " Doctors can now obtain information about patients without referring to

Anwar bin Ibrahim