Selangkah Ventures wins AI award for Healthcare in Malaysian Technology Excellence Awards

It was awarded for the growth of its Selangkah App, which started out as a contact tracing platform.

Selangkah Ventures Sdn Bhd (SVSB) is up for a revolutionary growth after proving its capabilities through an app that was first launched as a contact tracing platform.

Called the Selangkah App, it was initially made available as a web app in May 2020. It was first established as a QR-based check-in registration for the Selangor state residents for Covid-19 contact tracing.

Approximately 35 million logs have been recorded through this QR code solution. It was later integrated with the Maybank and Mid Valley QR Code systems.

SVSB was then appointed by the Selangor State Government to develop, maintain, and operationalise a digital platform for a multimodal Covid-19 response. This includes contact tracing, home quarantine monitoring, vaccination, welfare aid, psychosocial support, lab testing appointment and report transmission.

This was made possible in February 2021 when the company had upgraded the Selangkah web app into a native app. Numerous new features were gradually introduced: SelVAX, Mental SEHAT, Covid-19 Screening booking, Home Assessment Tool, Selangkah Biz, Selcare Store, Selangkah Wallet, CAC Check-in (to be ended on April 30, 2022), and the Covid-19 Geolocation risk map.

“As the world move towards digitalisation, these upgraded features are aimed to provide both safety measures and convenience for all,” said SVSB chief executive officer Tengku Iesta Tengku Alaudin. “It was our mission to help our users navigate their way safely through the pandemic.”

The Selangkah app’s multi-step health and commercial features were developed in support of the World Health Organisation’s FTTIS+V (Find, Test, Trace, Isolate, Support and Vaccine) strategy.

Under Find, Selangkah developed ACURA, an AI-powered analytics tool used to outline and map out high-risk areas and exposed population. For its Test step, it had offered the Selangkah omnichannel Covid-19 screening platform while under Trace is the Selangkah QR contact tracing automation (discontinued in 2021). 

The Home Assessment Tool for home quarantine monitoring is currently being used in five districts as a part of its Isolate step. These districts are Petaling, Gombak, Hulu Selangor, Klang and Hulu Langat.

Through its Support stage, it presents state-endorsed platforms used to distribute welfare such as the Selangkah Biz and Selangkah Wallet. 

Lastly, under Vaccine, it developed the ImuniSel (discontinued in 2021) and SelVAX programmes which are data-driven and follow a mass-vaccination deployment modelling.

“Selangkah is dynamic. What began as a Contact Tracing tool had evolved to address other equally important matters – from Covid-19 community testing and contactless payment system, to State welfare distribution and pre-registration for vaccination,” said SVSB chief information officer Dr Helmi Zakariah.

For this project, the company received the AI - Healthcare Technology award in the recently concluded Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards hosted by Singapore Business Review.

The annual awards programme recognises exceptional companies who are riding the disruption wave and are leading the technological revolution and digital journeys of their respective industries to boost Malaysia’s fast-growing economy.

In giving this award, the judging panel took notice of the different features of the Selangkah App. 

Apart from these features, the mobile application has other notable inclusions.

The Mental SEHAT module provides psychosocial and mental health support for individuals affected by the pandemic. With its Bubble function, users could create social groups with their close friends or family on the app. They could use it to check into premises together without any hassle.

The app provides a direct access to the Selcare E-store, which enables individuals to purchase services, medicines, diagnostic test kits, and tools online.

Areas where there are Covid-19 transmissions can be checked through the AI-powered Forecast Map. Through the Home Assessment Tool, professional health workers can assess and monitor the health of quarantined Covid-19 patients remotely.

“As we move forward, we are considering other tools to improve society liveability through a more creative way of engagement, from gamification to behavioural economics,” said Dr. Helmi.

“Our ultimate aim in the future is to continue to expand our App to include more features that benefit the public,” added Tengku Iesta.

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ABOUT SELANGKAH

Since its relaunch in February this year, the Selangkah App has pioneered various digital solutions for Covid-19 tracing, testing, home quarantine monitoring and large-scale industry vaccination in the nation, benefitting 1.3 million users. Since 24 July 2021, the Malaysian Ministry of Health endorsed the use of the Selangkah Home Isolation system by 19 healthcare facilities for Covid-19 Assessment and Monitoring, for high-risk patients in the Klang Valley of the Peninsular Malaysia.