The minister says the govt would still maintain the use of MySejahtera for the next month or two

by BERNAMA

HEALTH Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar (picture) will explain in detail the questions raised by several parties regarding the appointment of MySJ Sdn Bhd as the licensee of the MySejahtera application in the Dewan Negara this Thursday.

Khairy had requested Senate president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim to allow a motion to be debated tomorrow, as the issue involving people’s personal data was important.

“I will answer all the questions in the Senate, there is no issue for me. There is nothing to hide.

“Those who are not familiar with this may not have read up on it in full and continue to raise the same issue. I understand this is an important issue involving personal data and so it’s better for me to answer (the questions) in the Senate,” he told reporters at Port Dickson Hospital yesterday.

Khairy reiterated his statement that the appointment of KPISoft Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MySejahtera app developer) was implemented by the National Security Council (MKN).

He said several companies had been invited to make their presentations and MKN chose the company, which has been rebranded as Entomo Malaysia Sdn Bhd. He said Entomo then gave the licence to MySJ Sdn Bhd.

“So, we’re negotiating with the company that has been providing the services since the very beginning, for the continuation of the service, because they’ve developed the platform.

“The original appointment was made by MKN and now, I am in the process of making it an official contract, that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said.

The media yesterday reported Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan urging the government to clarify the alleged involvement of MySJ in the acquisition of the MySejahtera app.

Mohamad said although the application was helpful and beneficial, allegations of the appointment of private entity MySJ as the company that would manage it for the next phase was a matter of concern.

Among the issues raised were the appointment of MySJ through a direct negotiation mechanism and not via an open tender.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the government would still maintain the use of MySejahtera for the next month or two.

“When the situation has stabilised, it may be the right time for us to stop using MySejahtera.

“Like Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said, we have become a surveillance state, that is not right. We have used MySejahtera for public health purposes. The MoH (Ministry of Health) knows when to stop using the application,” he said.

During his visit, Khairy said the cost required to upgrade the Emergency and Trauma Department at the Port Dickson Hospital was RM23 million, while the cost for the specialist block at the hospital amounted to RM160 million.

He said the Jelebu Hospital also required an upgrade, however, there was no allocation for it so far.