MOH to introduce online booking platform for in-home treatment services

The Ministry of Health (MOH) will introduce an online booking platform for people to access its healthcare services at home.

Its Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said the platform would be set up and managed by the private sector selected by the ministry through an open tender.

Among the services offered are laboratory testing services such as blood tests, non-emergency outpatient services, specialised wound care services, and peritoneal dialysis for kidney patients, he said.

"This is an uberisation of MOH's health services aimed at strengthening the services," he said when delivering his message to MOH staff at the ministry here today.

It is learnt that the ministry is mulling with the idea as it has received numerous requests from the public who want their monthly treatment conducted at home.

Dr. Adham said the payment rates for such services would depend on the types of services provided by the medical practitioners and the distance from the office to patients' home.

He added that the uberisation of MOH healthcare services is one of the ministry's new deals under the Malaysian National Health Agenda to strengthen health promotion and healthy lifestyle practices.

"The ministry is in the midst of drafting and reviewing matters pertaining to the core business and its management through a document or plan referred to as the MOH New Deals, to be adopted as a direction," he explained.

Among those listed under the new deals are digitalisation of the healthcare services; outsourcing of the healthcare services; strengthening of preparedness against an epidemic, environmental disasters, and medical emergencies as well as improving the health financing system, he said.

In his speech, Dr Adham also expressed his appreciation to Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, and the latter's war generals, as well as frontliners for their full commitment to efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and save lives of Malaysians.

"You (frontliners) did not complain, but continue to work tirelessly for the well-being of the country and to control the spread of the virus infection in the country. Thank you very much," he added.

-- BERNAMA