The Next Generation Malaysian Emergency Response Services 999 (NG MERS 999) implemented by Telekom Malaysia (TM) has an annual running cost of RM113 million, which covers a total of 837 operation centres.
Meanwhile, the two supporting applications – SaveME 999 app for the public and Responder app, cost RM880,000 in subscription fee, or 0.78% of NG MERS 999’s annual running cost, including database services.
The operating costs of NG MERS 999 were revealed in a joint statement released by the Minister of Communications Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Minister of Health Datuk Dzulkefly Ahmad. Both ministers said the system is running smoothly and they are forming a special joint committee to oversee the system.
SaveME 999 app does not replace 999 voice calls
The SaveME 999 app has been getting a lot of flak due to its complicated sign up process and questionable design choices.
At the time of writing, the app published by Jabatan Digital Negara on the Apple AppStore has received a dreadful 1.4 stars rating. Meanwhile, on the Google Play Store, it also received a similar low rating of 1.4 stars.
The two ministries said the SaveME 999 app integrates three existing apps: SaveME Blind, SaveME Deaf and SaveME Police. The app is meant to share location and emergency information digitally while function as an additional channel in the NG MERS 999 ecosystem. They also iterated that the SaveME 999 app is not a replacement for 999 voice-call service and it is part of its system improvement.
Special Joint Committee to be formed
The Ministry of Health says they are streamlining a temporary workflow to ensure medical and clinical responses remain at optimum levels. It added that NG MERS 999 remains fully operational as the national emergency platform and other agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police, Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia, Department of Civil Defence and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
To ensure the effectiveness and stability of NG MERS 999, a Special Joint Committee will be formed by the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Health. The committee will be responsible for:
- Review of all technical issues, operational and inter-agency emergency coordination matters
- Ensure emergency service delivery remains smooth and safe, including immediate action for system improvements
- Provide weekly reports to Cabinet on the implementation status, operational effectiveness, key performance indicators, and suggest solutions for both short-term and long-term.
Both Ministries have also provided stats of NG MERS 999 for since launch (16th November) until 12.00pm today (21st November):
- 323,957 calls handled by 170 professional emergency officers at 1,302 work stations
- 95% of calls processed within 8 seconds
Yesterday, TM has issued a statement acknowledging issues including delayed response of the NG MERS 999 system. It shared that the previous MERS 999 platform had typically handled about 50,000 calls per day but the volume surged to nearly 70,000 calls daily after the migration.
The surge in volume had affected the system performance of NG MERS 999 and it highlighted that only 5% of calls received are genuine emergencies.
To address the concerns, TM has implemented several measures which include increasing server capacity, optimising server’s configuration and mobilise additional resources in the call centre to cope with the high volume of calls.
