But of course, there’s a lot more to the app which was originally released back in April than just a way to get some e-wallet credit.
What is the app about?
To put it very simply, MySejahtera is an app that is designed for COVID-19 contact tracing while providing related information regarding the disease including preventive measures. Developed by the Malaysian government, the main aim of MySejahtera is to help the Ministry of Health to monitor the spread of the disease within the population. One of the main features inside MySejahtera is the ability for users to determine their risk status. This is done through a set of five Yes/No questions.
Based on your answers, the app will then put you in one of six categories, ranging from “Low Risk” all the way to “Confirmed Case“. Your risk category will also be displayed in the main page and the profile section of the app. If you need to be out and about, the MySejahtera app also helps you keep track COVID-19 hotspots. The app defines a hotspot as an area with reports of COVID-19 cases within the last 14 days.
The app can also tell you if there are any health screening facilities near you. This will hopefully not be a feature you make use of, but it’s there for those who are considered at risk of having come into contact with the disease. You can also extend these features to others who don’t have access to a smartphone, such as children or elders, by registering them under the “Manage Dependants” part of the app.
The MySejahtera app also conveniently links you to a number of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that need to be followed, be it for festivities or for restarting the economy. Another resource available via the app relates to digital healthcare services. This includes links to several virtual health advisory providers and online clinic bookings.
And finally, there’s the MySejahtera Check-In feature. You’ve probably noticed that you’ll need to do some form of checking in whenever you enter shops or malls. You can use the MySejahtera app for this if the premises you enter has registered to make use of this feature. As for premise owners, you can register to use MySejahtera Check-In from its website here.
What else can the app tell me?
Beyond all that, MySejahtera is also a reliable source of statistics on the disease. The app makes available to you up-to-date numbers for COVID-19 cases. Under its dedicated statistics tab, it tells you the number of total and current cases, as well as the number of recoveries and death. You also get exact figures for the day, and some graphs that tells you the weekly stats and trends. There’s also a graph that tells you the number of cases in each state, as well as a heatmap of the concentration of cases. You can also get global numbers too, with a graph showing the countries with the highest number of cases in the world. There’s also another one for the ASEAN region.
Do I have to use it?
Despite its purpose and intention, the use of the MySejahtera app has not being made compulsory by the Malaysian government. That being said, you’re highly encouraged to use it. For one, it helps the government monitor the spread of the disease. You can also use it during sign-ins when entering certain business premises. But beyond that, the app will likely just serve as a source of information to COVID-19. So unless you like getting up to date stats every day or if you are order to use the app by the authorities, chances are that you won’t open the app very often.
So where is my RM50?
As mentioned earlier, it’s likely that the RM50 e-wallet credit from the ePENJANA program is what reminded you of the MySejahtera app. As for which e-wallet that the credit will go to, this is still a mystery. After all, the government did not specify this particular detail. One thing for sure is that it will not be within the MySejahtera app itself. This is simply because it’s not an e-wallet. But when you consider the e-Tunai Rakyat program earlier in the year, we predict that the ePENJANA program will end up with same three e-wallet services again.
Why can’t I actually sign up?
The next inevitable situation users will face is the inability to register their account at all after downloading the app. This isn’t unexpected, as the number of registrations have spiked since the announcement of the RM50 e-wallet credit. As the Director General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said earlier this week, signups were at a rate of 700,000 a minute. But as it is, it doesn’t look like there’s any reason to rush the signing up process. The e-wallet credit will only be distributed in July, and no deadline was announced for the signing up for a MySejahtera account. So there’s no harm in taking your time with the signing up, although we still recommend you to do it before July comes around.
