Dzulkefly: MOH fast‑tracking study on e‑MC system to curb medical certificate forgery and identity theft

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) is studying the implementation of a digital medical certificate (e-MC) as part of efforts to curb abuse, forgery and identity theft involving medical practitioners by syndicates dealing in fake sick leave certificates.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the ministry’s Digital Health Division has been instructed to expedite a study to facilitate the transition to a more secure digital platform for medical certificates.

“Medical certificates (MCs) can only be issued by a doctor or medical officer treating the patient. That is clear. This ethical misconduct is a serious issue, and the MOH will not compromise on it under any circumstances.

“Perhaps this is also a clear signal for us to move towards a digital system or e-MC. This is the way forward in minimising abuse,” he told a press conference after launching the ‘Cik Era Naik MRT’ programme at the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT station here yesterday.

He was commenting on a case involving five individuals, including a nurse in Pekan, Pahang, who have been remanded to assist in investigations into the sale and purchase of suspected fake MCs, as well as the existence of the ‘holiday master’ website syndicate, which has been actively forging the names of doctors and private clinics since 2016.

Regarding the ‘holiday master’ syndicate, which was found to have stolen the professional registration numbers of private medical practitioners for profit, Dzulkefly stressed that the case is currently under investigation by the Malaysian Medical Council.

“The Malaysian Medical Council will be the lead agency in this matter and will work closely with law enforcement authorities. The MOH will also examine the implications from the perspective of internal data breaches to ensure that our doctors’ identities are not misused indiscriminately,” he said.

In a separate development, Dzulkefly cautioned the public against using artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for self-diagnosis, particularly for high-risk chronic diseases such as cancer and heart conditions.

He said the use of AI in the healthcare sector is increasingly becoming a topic of public discussion, but patient safety and clinical accuracy must remain paramount and cannot be compromised.

“I urge anyone facing health issues to seek immediate consultation with medical practitioners, whether in the public or private sector, including general practitioner (GP) clinics, government clinics or public hospitals. Do not bear the burden alone.

“We cannot adopt a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach based on AI. No matter how advanced AI technology may be, it should not be treated as the ultimate source for making medical decisions, whether for screening or confirmatory purposes,” he said. — Bernama