Telemedicine contract worth RM95mil sealed
By Julian Matthews
Thursday, January 20 2000

Medical Online, a little-known entity until two years ago, secured the larger chunk of the contract worth RM74 million to implement three of the four telemedicine components.

They are Lifetime Health Plan, RM58 million; Mass Customised/Personalised Health Information and Education, RM8 million; and Continuing Medical Education, RM8 million.

The fourth component, Teleconsultation, valued at RM21 million, will be developed, implemented and managed by WorldCare.

According to Health Minister Chua Jui Meng, who witnessed the signing ceremony this morning, the objective of telemedicine is to provide integrated, high quality, accessible and affordable medical treatment to the nation.

"We aim to transform the nation's healthcare system to focus on wellness by harnessing the power of information and multimedia," he said.

The implementation of the five-year contract will begin immediately. Groundwork for the pilot programs have been underway since last year.

Medical Online will begin implementation soon at 42 hospitals and district clinics located in the Klang Valley, Kajang and Kinta District.

Meanwhile, WorldCare will implement teleconsultation at 41 locations nationwide and expects their system to be operational in two years time.

Telemedicine is one of the four flagship applications meant to kickstart Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project, the high-tech zone likened to Asia's Silicon Valley.

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