Steps taken to ensure EMR data is secure, says Health Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: Steps are being taken to beef up security and prevent data leaks from the electronic medical records (EMR) system, says Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

While winding up the 12th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday(Sept 19), the Health Minister said that, in line with ICT policies and the Personal Data Protection Act 2010, measures related to enforcement, control and protection of data including confidentiality of patient information have already been laid out.

ALSO READ: Aiming for nationwide rollout of Electronic Medical Records

Access to the data will also be limited to those with authority as spelled out in the Guidelines for the Management of Medical Records of Patients in the Health Ministry’s facility.

“Audit trails will be conducted to control access to the EMR periodically to ensure compliance to the policies,” she said.

She said there will also be a multi-level verification system to access the medical record.

ALSO READ: Electronic medical record system to be integrated nationwide in 2026, says Deputy Health Minister

Migration of data will also be secured with inscription.

Dr Zaliha was responding to Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari’s (PH-Sungai Petani) question on the security aspects of the EMR.

In an exclusive interview with The Star in May, Dr Zaliha said the EMR system is targeted for a nationwide rollout by 2026 to ensure a better and seamless delivery of services to patients at public healthcare facilities.