Malaysian pilgrims to be equipped with patient summary QR code to facilitate treatment

KUALA LUMPUR: This year’s haj pilgrims will be equipped with the International Patient Summary (IPS) through the MySejahtera app which can facilitate treatment if any incident occurs during the pilgrimage, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

He said the IPS, which is a digital transformation initiative of the Health Ministry allows medical practitioners in the Holy Land to access critical basic medical information of pilgrims by simply scanning a QR code.

“Through the IPS, all information including the health and medical history and allergies of the pilgrims can be accessed by the Saudi government, enabling direct treatment to be provided by the attending physician to those in need.”

Dzulkefly said this during a meet-and-greet event involving the ministry’s top management and its (medical) haj delegation for the 1445H/2024 haj season in Putrajaya, on Thursday (April 26).

A total of 279 from the ministry’s (medical) haj delegation and three welfare officers will be involved in this year’s haj operation from April April 30, and Dzulkefly reminded them to serve with full dedication to ensure that all Malaysian pilgrims can complete their pilgrimage well.

Meanwhile, Tabung Haji (TH) group managing director and chief executive officer Syed Hamadah Syed Othman said the ministry’s (medical) haj delegation consisting of various disciplines such as general medicine, family medicine and emergency and trauma medicine is a very important team in the haj operation every year.

“Managing the health of the pilgrims is not an easy task, coupled with the age profile of the pilgrims where almost 36% are over 60 years old.

“However, the medical staff have shown a very high commitment to providing the best service every year,” he said.

Syed Hamadah said TH management is also satisfied with the great quality of the ministry’s services with cooperation at all levels starting from planning and preparation in Malaysia right to the Holy Land.

He said a survey carried out by TH to measure the level of pilgrims’ satisfaction with various aspects of haj services provided last year, also found that pilgrims were very satisfied with the ministry’s health services. – BK