PARLIAMENT | As the country is shifting its Covid-19 phase from pandemic to endemic, the Health Ministry (MOH) is mulling stopping using the MySejahtera application for premises check-in purposes.

However, the health authority plans to keep the application running, and maintaining other aspects that it deems would be beneficial for the country's healthcare services.

According to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, this includes using MySejahtera as a base for building a fully digitised medical record system for Malaysia.

"This application has helped us a lot in managing the pandemic. MOH is of the view that there is a need to continue this application for its existing functions, even after the country shifts into the endemic phase.

"MySejahtera database is among the largest in the world and thus making it very important for us to continue using MySejahtera as an application.

"Even the Malaysia Medical Association has suggested this app be used as a pioneer to (having our own) electronic medical records, which is something that MOH is looking into. We can discontinue MySejahtera check-in function, but we can also pivot it to other functions," Khairy told the Dewan Negara this evening.

The minister was called to the Senate to answer public concerns regarding MySejahtera's ownership and security of its data.

It followed a recent brouhaha when the public learned that the MySejahtera application licence was sold to another company for over RM300 million. This caused many to worry about their personal data that was collected for pandemic control purposes being sold to unscrupulous parties.

Khairy told Dewan Negara that MySejahtera should also be maintained for future use, in case the country is hit by another outbreak.

Ownership

Meanwhile, on ownership of MySejahtera, Khairy stressed that the application, its modules and brand, as well as data collected through it, are owned by MOH.

According to him, the app's developer KPIsoft, which is now known as Entomo (M) Sdn Bhd, only handles the operation of the app's platform.

"There is no issue of MySejahtera application being sold to a private company. Because MySejahtera's brand, source codes, and its modules are all owned by MOH.

"In November last year, the Cabinet decided to transfer the full ownership of MySejahtera to MOH, but that was from another government agency (National Security Council) to MOH, it didn't involve any private company," he said.

Khairy also reiterated that the government has not paid a single cent to either Entomo/KPIsoft or MYSJ Sdn Bhd, which is a new company said to have agreed to pay Entomo some RM338 million for the licence and intellectual property of MySejahtera application.

He said negotiation with MYSJ on the way forward and management of MySejahtera application was still ongoing, and that Putrajaya has no intention to pay anything close to RM300m.

However, despite telling the senators that the negotiation has reached its final stage, the minister was reluctant to reveal the figure or give any clue to how much was being discussed.

"This is still being negotiated with the Treasury. When it has been decided, the government will announce it and will be transparent. This is my commitment to you," he told the Parliament's Upper House.

Khairy also said that he will present and answer everything to the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee.