Dr Vivek Jason Jayaraj (left) and other panellists at the International Regulatory Conference 2026 today. KUALA LUMPUR: Patients will enjoy smoother delivery of medical services when electronic medical record systems are expanded to more government hospitals and clinics in the next five years, a health expert said. Dr Vivek Jason Jayaraj, deputy director of the health ministry’s digital health division, said the initiative was part of a plan to strengthen the digitalisation of the public healthcare system, with patients at its centre.
He said the incoming changes included doctors using digital systems to record patients’ medical information, as well as the electronic integration of laboratory and radiology results. “Doctors still use pen and paper in clinics. That may seem somewhat awkward these days, since all other aspects of our daily lives have shifted to digital systems,” he said at a panel discussion at the International Regulatory Conference 2026 here today.
Vivek said while the health ministry began its journey to digitise the health sector about 40 years ago, various challenges had caused transformation to come at a slower pace than planned. However, significant progress had been made in the digitalisation of nearly 500 government clinics in the last two years, with more hospitals set to follow this year. He said some health information, including pharmaceutical records and other medical data, could now be accessed via the MySejahtera app, marking an early step towards a more integrated healthcare system.
He also said foundational digital infrastructure, such as electronic medical records and secure data sharing, must first be put in place before more advanced technologies such as telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence could be widely adopted. Huawei Malaysia senior vertical solutions expert Nicholas Yong said successful digitalisation would depend not only on technology, but also on policy alignment and cooperation among government agencies. Yong said developing digital healthcare systems must begin with robust digital infrastructure and an integrated health data platform to ensure all stakeholders use the same standards.
“If the foundation is built properly, new technologies can be added over time without having to overhaul the entire system.
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