Nowadays, telemedicine is only a small part of the larger realm of digital healthcare. Patients can monitor their heart rate and blood glucose levels with wearable devices, such as a patch or smartwatch, while their doctors can monitor for abnormalities remotely. Patients can also contact their doctors via video call and get their prescriptions mailed to them. The e-prescription is already available at Putrajaya Hospital.
In Malaysia, a group of doctors and entrepreneurs are looking to further that vision. In 2015, they began organising an annual telemedicine conference. In 2017, they set up the Telemedicine Development Group. Last year, they changed the name to Digital Health Malaysia (DHM) to better reflect the scope of their work.
DHM is eager to promote a regulatory environment that welcomes start-ups to the sector. It also wants to create an ecosystem with health practitioners, regulators, entrepreneurs and technology providers.
“Digitalisation is inevitable. Patients will constantly look for options [that can be delivered] on their devices. That means some non-qualified person can start selling their services,” says Dr Prathaban.