In a joint statement today, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil and health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the committee will review technical and operational issues, coordinate emergency response agencies, and provide weekly reports to the Cabinet on system performance and improvements.

NG MERS 999, which went live on Nov 16, replaces the Malaysian Emergency Response Services, or MERS999 system. Since its launch, some users have reportedly experienced difficulty reaching 999 or slower response times.

Fahmi and Dzulkefly said NG MERS 999 has handled 323,957 calls to date, managed by 170 emergency officers across 1,302 workstations, with 95% of calls processed within eight seconds.

A 24-hour technical support network is also in place to ensure continuous maintenance and troubleshooting nationwide.

They also said temporary workflow changes are being implemented to optimise medical emergency response.

“Workflow adjustments only affect internal processes for managing medical emergency calls under the health ministry,” they said, adding that operations of other agencies, such as the police, the fire and rescue department, remain unaffected.

“These adjustments will allow ambulance activation to be carried out more efficiently following stable workflow procedures before full integration.”

Apps support NG MERS 999

Fahmi and Dzulkefly also said the system is supported by two apps – SaveME999 for the public, and the Responder App for emergency personnel.

The SaveME999 app, in particular, combines three previous apps for disabled users and the police, enabling digital submission of location and emergency information.

“The integration of the apps is part of system improvements, not a replacement of the 999 phone line function,” they said.

They also said the subscription cost for both apps is RM880,000, or 0.78% of the annual operating cost, which also covers database services.

Telekom Malaysia Berhad was awarded the NG999 project in July last year, with the 12-year contract valued at RM1.25 billion.