THE increasing levels of life expectancy have led the world to experience an unprecedented and sustained change in the age structure of the global population. In the report on the key findings from Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020 by the Department of Statisticsn Malaysia, there are 2.2 million people in the age group of 65 years and above (old age), accounting for 6.8% of the population (32.4million) in 2020, up from 1.4 million people (5%) in 2010. Malaysia too is catching up with the trend.
There is an opportunity to improve the quality, efficiency, and accessibility to health care for older people especially in suburban and rural areas. Connectivity is the key to transforming Malaysia’s healthcare that will bring efficiency and peace of mind, especially for older people in the suburbs and rural areas who need minor yet regular medical consultations.
Bridging the digital gap
Allo Technology Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), is championing the drive to bridge the digital gap in underserved areas by providing quality broadband connectivity through the National Digital Infrastructure Plan (JENDELA) initiative laid out by the government. At present, Allo has completed more than 180,000 home passes in Melaka, Perak, Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor. Besides that, Allo aims to reach 300,000 home passes by the end of this year. Continuing to pave the way toward a fiberised nation, Allo remains committed to creating the connectivity that will enrich the lives of all Malaysians with high-speed broadband infrastructure. This would open the potential to accelerate the digitisation of healthcare services to cater for the needs of older people living outside the city. The effort, alongside the use of big data and platform technologies, would empower Malaysians in underserved areas via various aspects, including personalised digital healthcare.