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DoctorOnCall, patients log in as Malaysian telemed mushrooms unregulated

Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, giving a leg up to startups like Malaysia’s DoctorOnCall. But the industry is unregulated thus far, raising concerns about patients’ data protection

Ka Kay Lum, 2 Jun 2020

From mid-February to May, over 40,000 virtual consultations have been done on DoctorOnCall’s platform

Besides organising patients’ health records, telemedicine shortens long-waiting hours at government healthcare facilities

However, telemedicine remains unregulated in Malaysia. A proposed regulatory framework is in the works, but it could take months

Meanwhile, DoctorOnCall is taking the opportunity to fundraise and strengthen its local operations before venturing overseas

When Malaysian telemedicine startup DoctorOnCall first started its operations four years ago, neither doctors nor consumers were buying it.

This despite the Malaysian government’s best efforts at launching a telemedicine blueprint blueprint Malaysia's Ministry of Health Malaysia's Telemedicine Blueprint Read more all the way back in 1997, envisioning a future where remote healthcare would be possible. Clearly, the blueprint was ahead of its time.

Fast forward to 2020, and everyone needs an online solution.

AUTHOR

Ka Kay Lum

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Ka Kay covers investment activities, aka following the money, across Southeast Asia and in-depth stories on the often-overlooked Malaysian startup ecosystem. She was previously a regional writer for Nikkei-owned DealStreetAsia.

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