[UPDATED] MySejahtera a govt asset, Health Ministry its owner: Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR – Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has clarified that his ministry is the sole owner of the MySejahtera contact tracing application, saying it was never sold to a private company.

Khairy said the application was developed by KPISoft Sdn Bhd as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project in March 2020, with the CSR service lasting a year.

He said the company had agreed to offer their services without charge as part of its CSR initiative, and that the platform has been a “software as a service” solution for MoH. 

“This approach has assisted the government in reducing turnaround time that is required to develop new software following the need of a specific system to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Following the CSR period that ended on March 31, 2021, he said the government agreed to continue engaging the company’s services to operate the MySejahtera application, and to cooperate on more required updates.

He added that the decision to stick with MySejahtera following the CSR period was due to the platform’s dynamism and stability, with the app now consisting of more than 10 different modules and 38 million registered users comprising locals, foreigners and travellers.

“The government’s decision on November 26, 2021 then agreed that MoH form a Price Negotiation Committee comprising members from related stakeholder agencies to undertake price negotiations and managing services of the MySejahtera application with the company for a period of two years, in line with procurement procedures.

The scope of their procurement, he said, would consist of operations of the app, future developments of features and modules, maintenance, central data management, including engagement of other third-party services like Google Maps, places application programming interface and short messaging service.

“The Finance Ministry (MoF), through a letter dated February 28, 2022, agreed to approve MoH’s request to undertake the procurement for the management of the MySejahtera application and was finalised at the stage of the MoF. This negotiation process has begun and MoH will make sure due diligence is carried out to ensure the government’s priorities.”

Khairy also assured users of the application that all data being collected on MySejahtera was under the supervision of MoH, and has been this way since the inception of the platform.

“All data management will go through data governance processes that have been set by the MoH,” he said in a statement today.

Khairy’s clarification is in response to opposition lawmakers questioning the decision to supposedly sell the application to a private company through a direct negotiation, approved by the cabinet. 

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had questioned the motive behind the government appointing a newly formed company MySJ Sdn Bhd to procure the platform from its developers KPISoft, now known as Entomo Sdn Bhd. 

Klang MP Charles Santiago also questioned the decision, warning of the risks of data from the app potentially being compromised once it’s no longer under the purview of the government.

Khairy today said the use and management of data collected by MySejahtera has to adhere to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act (1988), and the Medical Act 1971, besides the need to conform to international standards. 

He added that data obtained through MySejahtera cannot be shared or released by MoH to other private or government agencies or entities, and that data transactions done on the app involve a cloud server network, which allows data access only for use with the application. 

“MoH hopes the public will continue using the MySejahtera application without doubt. The confidentiality of data from the public is assured and MoH will always ensure this aspect is not compromised.” – The Vibes, March 27, 2022