Measat, Mudah Healthtech partner to bring digital healthcare to up to 1 million rural residents

• Partners commit to digitising clinics, enabling 1,000 doctors to support 2,000 kiosks
• Measat aims to connect rural entrepreneurship to the digital economy with KampungDigital365.com

Measat Global Berhad (Measat), Malaysia’s rural broadband service provider, has partnered with healthcare technology company Mudah Healthtech Sdn Bhd to offer the Sihat Xpress telehealth service in remote communities through the CONNECTme NOW satellite broadband service.

In a joint statement, the companies announced their partnership and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Ranau, Malaysia's first rural Sihat Xpress site, serving as a proof-of-concept for enhancing rural healthcare through digital technology.

Through this collaboration, Measat and Mudah Healthtech aim to provide digital healthcare services for up to 1,000,000 Malaysians in unserved and underserved rural and remote communities nationwide. The MoU also involves digitizing clinics with telehealth capabilities, enabling at least 1,000 doctors to support up to 2,000 Sihat Xpress rural telehealth kiosks to be deployed at CONNECTme NOW sites within the next two years.

The Sihat Xpress initiative allows villagers to use telehealth kiosks for self-checking of oxygen level, blood pressure and body temperature, and online consultations with doctors for non-emergency medical issues such as minor illnesses and general health inquiries. Other health checks that may potentially be introduced in the future include blood glucose testing. 

This initiative aims to address healthcare delivery concerns in rural areas, such as overcrowding at healthcare facilities and improving health literacy through educational content.

Commenting on the partnership, Yau Chyong Lim, chief operating officer, Measat, said “As Malaysia’s rural broadband service provider, our collaboration with Mudah Healthtech for the Sihat Xpress rural telehealth initiative is part of our long-term effort to contribute to Malaysia’s national goals beyond providing telecommunications services.”

Yau Chyong Lim, Measat's Chief Operating Officer, stated that this collaboration aligns with Measat's commitment to contribute to Malaysia's national goals beyond telecommunications services. 

He added that with CONNECTme NOW as an enabler, Measat is empowering rural entrepreneurship and connecting residents to the digital economy via the KampungDigital365.com initiative. “Here, we are enabling digital healthcare in rural areas for up to 1,000,000 unserved and underserved people through our CONNECTme NOW hotspots. Through digital healthcare, we aim to help reduce the healthcare delivery gap in remote communities, empowering rural residents to proactively monitor their health via routine checks and online consultations without spending time and money travelling long distances to a healthcare facility,” Yau said.

The Sihat Xpress initiative in rural areas is aligned with national goals to digitalise all healthcare facilities by 2030 to uplift service delivery, and the potential implementation of telehealth as a cost-effective method to address gaps in high-quality healthcare delivery in remote areas besides collecting data to support public health planning to achieve better outcomes.