After five years of trial and error, Mor Prom -- the country's flagship digital healthcare platform -- has yet to live up to its name. Mor Prom means "doctor is ready" in Thai.
Yet reports of data errors raise questions about whether the Mor Prom app is ready to safeguard the personal data and medical records of more than 30 million users.
The issue emerged late last month after more than 7,000 people complained about inaccurate medical records on the app. They said the medical and reimbursement data shown did not match their actual treatment histories. Several people said the app listed treatments and medicines they had not received.
One complainant is preparing to sue the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) after insurance companies refused to reimburse medical costs because of false records in the app. Sceptics have also warned that some state hospitals might use false medical records to claim reimbursements.
The errors came at a time when state hospitals were complaining that they had not received sufficient funding. While the ministry's preliminary investigation found no evidence that state hospitals had used false data to claim additional funds, the errors raise valid questions about the quality and reliability of state medical records.
The false data in a state app is troubling. The way the ministry is handling the investigation is even more worrying. Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Somrerk Jungsaman said initial findings suggested that most cases stemmed from misunderstandings among staff entering data, compounded by heavy key performance indicator requirements.
Such an explanation is not enough. The ministry should conduct a more thorough investigation to determine how such glaring errors occurred and who should be held responsible. Instead of blaming rank-and-file officials, it should examine the companies and system operators involved and determine what must be done to prevent similar problems. An app operating on this nationwide scale should have been designed to be secure and resistant to errors.
Indeed, this is not the first time the ministry has had problems handling public health data.
In August 2021, hackers seized information on 10,000 patients from the state-run Phetchabun Hospital, shut down its phone lines and demanded 63 billion baht in Bitcoin.
Just a month later, it was revealed that data on more than 100,000 patients from 11 hospitals nationwide was being sold on the dark web.
As in the latest Mor Prom case, the MoPH has adopted a hands-off approach that suggests it has paid too little attention to cybersecurity and accountability. The ministry has simply blamed hackers or careless hospital staff. No officials or directors of health offices and state hospitals have been held responsible for leaked public records.
Blaming low-level officials might help the ministry sweep the issue under the carpet, but it will not make the Mor Prom app more stable or the MoPH more accountable. It will only leave an app used by more than 30 million people vulnerable to cyberthreats.
