Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Communications, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide e-health services at National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI), particularly at over 700 centres located in rural areas nationwide.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil announced that MCMC and MOH are exploring several digital health initiatives, including telehealth services and the use of drone technology to deliver medications from selected NADI centres to nearby health clinics, depending on location suitability.
“This collaboration has begun here, and we aim to expand it to all NADI centres across the country. Our goal is to provide telehealth services to help ease the burden on people living in remote areas. With high-speed internet available at NADI centres, these e-health services can be delivered efficiently through the NADI-health clinic network. This will allow patients to undergo health screenings without physically visiting the clinics,” Fahmi said to reporters after attending the Community Engagement Day at NADI Kampung Langkuas Kinarut, also attended by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Present at the event were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa and MOH secretary-general Datuk Seri Suriani Ahmad. Fahmi elaborated that the use of drone technology for medication delivery to rural health clinics is still in its pilot phase, noting a drone-based medicine delivery demonstration witnessed by the Prime Minister at a NADI centre in Tawau.
Fahmi emphasized the importance of internet speed for the initiative’s success and the need for close cooperation between the Ministry of Communications, MCMC, and MOH. He noted that some NADI centres operate at 100 Mbps while others have reached up to 1 Gbps, with plans to improve these speeds further. Joint training sessions between MOH and NADI managers are also necessary for the effective delivery of telehealth services.
The initial focus of the initiative will be on rural areas, where the impact would be most significant, especially in Sabah and Sarawak. Further discussions will determine which NADI centres and clinics will be included. Health Minister Dzulkefly supported the initiative, highlighting its potential to enhance access to healthcare in rural communities through selected NADI centres. He noted that the collaboration would bring healthcare services closer to the people, providing health-related services such as managing communicable and chronic diseases locally.