KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- The potential of 5G network will be harnessed to improve the people's health literacy and the quality of the country's health services through the Future Health for All (FH4A) pilot programme, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the programme organised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would apply the latest technology and 5G connectivity to ensure inclusiveness and equal access to health services.
To begin with, he said the FH4A pilot programme would be implemented at 20 selected locations in six states, namely Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak and Johor.
"We will start in Kuala Lumpur and travel to five other states ending in Johor but I see that we can also increase collaboration with other healthcare service providers including teaching hospitals and private hospitals.
"So I believe that with several facilities that we provide, more people will benefit," he told reporters after launching the programme, here today.
Fahmi said the nationwide 5G network coverage reached 82.4 per cent in populated areas as of December 2024, making Malaysia one of the fastest countries in the world to expand communication access in recent years.
In addition, the 5G access penetration rate among the people for the same period has reached 53.35 per cent, which is nearly five-fold increase compared to 10.8 per cent in October 2023.
“With widespread connectivity, the penetration of 5G access can complement the ability for self-help health care among the people,” he said.
He said FH4A is carried out through MCMC’s strategic collaboration with the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Malaysian Pharmacy Association (MPS), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), ProtectHealth, Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) and KPJ Healthcare Bhd.
It takes a progressive approach by promoting future health technology following the increase in cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which have a significant impact on the national economy.
Fahmi said Malaysia is facing a high rate of NCDs with RM9.65 billion or 16.8 per cent of the country's health expenditure being spent on treating NCDs.
He said the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) found that the health literacy rate in Malaysia, which is the ability to understand and access information to maintain health levels, did not show encouraging improvement from 2019 to 2023, with an average rate of one per cent.
"I hope that this programme can not only increase the level of health literacy of the people, but also ensure that the people are more aware and prepared to face health-related challenges," he said.
As for the rural areas, he said that almost 1,100 National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI) throughout the country will also work to increase the level of health literacy through the e-Health programme.
"This has been started in several NADIs, for example in Pulau Bum Bum in Semporna, Sabah.
"There are also facilities like this in Ranau, Sabah and several rural areas where people can use the internet to get either counselling or interact with doctors so that they don't have to go to Kota Kinabalu or any big city to get health services," he said.
-- BERNAMA
