BOOKDOC FREE HEALTH TELE-CONSULTATION SERVICE FOR PENANGITES

SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW,

CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG

BOOKDOC FREE HEALTH TELE-CONSULTATION SERVICE FOR PENANGITES

23 September 2020

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YB Dr. Norlela Ariffin

Penang State EXCO for Agrotech and Food Security, Rural Development and Health

 

YBhg Dato’ Chevy Beh Yen San

Founder & CEO of BookDoc

Ms. Low Wee Wern

Special guest

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen.

A very good afternoon to everyone.

 

In support of our Penang Lawan Covid-19 campaign, I am delighted to announce that BookDoc will be making their Tele-Consult service through their BookDoc online platform, free for Penangites from now until end of this year.

Given our ongoing battle against Covid-19 and particularly with emerging new clusters in recent days, this initiative by BookDoc as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility will help to encourage Penangites to digitally embrace the new norms and to further promote physical distancing through their tele-health function.

Tele-health was a slow growing industry in Malaysia prior to the Covid-19 crisis. However, the resulting lockdown measures led to a shift in consumer behaviour across all industries, including healthcare. I have been made to understand that this feature by BookDoc allows you to communicate and consult trained medical professionals from the comfort of your own home. This will certainly assist those with mobility concerns, or those that are more vulnerable to infections.

The Penang State Government recognises the immense communication advantages that the digital world offers, in particular, to the Government, agencies and professionals especially from healthcare, to efficiently, orderly and effectively deliver authentic and important information to the public, in order to guide them through this pandemic. Using this advantage, I was able to share the State Government’s plan and provide latest information to the public Live through Facebook every single day during the first and second phases of MCO.

 

Similarly, on 16 March, when the State Government launched the ‘Penang Lawan COVID-19’ campaign, we were able to fully utilize the digital means to set up all kinds of communication channels, such as website, Facebook page, Telegram channel, phone hotlines, billboard and broadcast, to transparently deliver the latest updates to the public. We have also worked with medical doctors to create informative videos in various languages to ensure that as many people as possible is able to learn how to protect themselves from the Covid-19 virus.

The State Government has been and will always remain vigilant and ready to assist vulnerable groups affected by the pandemic. Now, I hope that this timely initiative, which is in line with the State’s Penang2030 vision to increase liveability by enhancing our quality of life through welfare and care systems, will be yet another step forward for us during this Covid-19 pandemic. Let us all move digitally towards a safer and healthier normal.

Having said that, I would like to invite Dato' Chevy Beh to further elaborate on this initiative, followed by a demonstration on the Free Health Tele-Consultation Service offered by BookDoc.

Thank you.