Housewife Ley Pooi Yan, 50, said her 82-year-old father fell and hit his head at their apartment on Saturday evening.
“We kept calling 999 but couldn’t get through. When I followed the voice menu, the line cut off,” she told FMT.
Ley said a neighbour managed to get through to 999, but no ambulance came. The family eventually got help from an NGO ambulance about two hours later.
NG999 replaced the old Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS999) system on Nov 16.
Developed jointly by Telekom Malaysia Bhd and the communications ministry, the new system integrates call centres, mapping, and data sharing across agencies to improve emergency response efficiency.
It is complemented by the SaveME999 app, which allows Malaysians, including persons with disabilities, to contact 999 operators using video, text, and multimedia-based emergency alerts.
Another resident, who asked to be identified only as Nizam, said he too could not get through to NG999 when his elderly mother was having breathing difficulties.
“I was panicking, not sure what to do, we are on the 10th floor of our apartment, and I couldn’t carry my mother down into my car,” he said.
Sungai Ara Community Ambulance operations manager Raminder Singh said his NGO received 13 emergency calls in Penang since the NG999 rollout, when people could not reach the official service.
He described a recent incident near Shell Sungai Tiram, where a man called about his 78-year-old father struggling to breathe.
“Our ambulance was already on another case. When I called 999, the phone rang for seven or eight minutes before someone answered. The ambulance only arrived about an hour later,” he said.
Bayan Lepas assemblyman Azrul Mahathir Aziz said he had received multiple complaints that both the NG999 hotline and SaveME999 app were freezing when calls were made.
“This possesses a high risk, especially for the elderly. Until 999 is stable, there should be a separate Penang hotline and direct hospital numbers as backup,” he said.
When contacted by FMT, Penang health committee chairman Daniel Gooi said the state government was aware of initial challenges with NG999 and they are coordinating with local NGOs to provide additional support while the system stabilised.
“Now, dispatch is centralised in Kuala Lumpur, causing coordination problems.
“We have raised the issue directly with the health minister’s office and are waiting for their latest announcement. In the meantime, we will work with NGOs to support the system,” he said.
FMT has reached out to the operators of NG999 for comment.