PUTRAJAYA, Sept 10- Disabled people with a smartphone in this country could now receive emergency service through the free “SaveME 999” application, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
He said the government spent almost RM1 billion to develop a comprehensive system as an alternative mechanism for the disabled to contact the Response Centre-Malaysian Emergency Response Service (PPK MERS)999 for emergency assistance.
Ahmad Shabery said through the free smart application, information like the location of a disabled needing emergency assistance could be channelled to the five main agencies involved – Royal Malaysian Police, Fire and Rescue Department, Health Ministry, Civil Defence Department and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency – simultaneously to facilitate immediate action.
He said the emergency service would especially be a boon for disabled persons with hearing and speech impairment.
“To date, nine states have been equipped with the MERS 999 system, and extension of the system to the five other states, namely Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan and Terengganu will be done this year and next.
“I believe this system will also be extended to the general public in stages in the future,” he said after launching the SaveME 999 application, here, Monday.
The SaveME 999 application can be downloaded for free via www.999.gov.my by using a smartphone with Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows operation systems.
Ahmad Shabery said the application was the result of the ministry’s collaboration through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission with Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
He said the same application for the benefit of the visually-impaired was being pursued by TM.
Meanwhile, he advised those disabled who have not registered with the Social Welfare Department to do so, to ease the provision of emergency assistance through SaveME 999.
The minister said that until June this year, there were 464,967 registered disabled, comprising 42,909 visually-impaired persons, 55,517 hearing-impaired, 153,918 physically-impaired, 170,809 with learning difficulties, 2,725 speech-impaired, 16,998 mentally-impaired and 22,091 with other disabilities.
Also present at the launching were Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, Commumications and Multimedia Ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Kamaruddin Siaraf and Telekom Malaysia chairman Datuk Seri Dr Halim Shafie.
– BERNAMA
