BY James Kon

Winners of the Brunei Info-Communications Technology Awards (BICTA) 2022 on Thursday shared their experiences of overcoming challenges in coming up with their products.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) with its BruHealth app received the BICTA 2022 Royal Patron Award as well as emerged as the winner in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry category.

System analyst Mohammad Eswady bin Brahim, senior system analyst Ong Pei Hsia and senior hospital administrator under the Healthcare Technology Department of the MoH Mohammad Kamarulariffin Zaki bin Harith Fadzilla received the awards.

Mohammad Eswady shared with the Bulletin, “BruHealth focusses on epidemic management where people are required to scan when entering premises and monitor the health codes in the first phase. In the second phase, we offered online hospital services and video consultation. During the second COVID-19 wave, we introduced new features, such as home isolation notice as well as vaccination certificate and ART reporting.

“For the new version of BruHealth, we are focussing on moving from being an epidemic management to becoming a digital health app.”

He said, “We are very honoured to have received the Royal Patron Award. With all the challenges faced during the second and third COVID-19 waves, we were trying to support our users and we managed to serve them well.”

There are currently around 500,000 BruHealth users, 200,000 of whom use it daily.

He also encouraged “people to make use of BruHealth as their main health monitor. We will provide a health plan for each individual to improve their health, and we also have a management programme to improve the conditions of diabetic patients”.

Meanwhile, Chung Hwa Middle School Bandar Seri Begawan emerged as the first winner in the Schools category for their app AI Care.

Arshia binti Tariq, Annika Chuang Pei Rong and Phoebe Lim Tong Xin received a trophy sponsored by imagine Sdn Bhd, a certificate and BND3,000 in cash prize.

“We are overwhelmed and I am grateful to Allah the Almighty, my team members, the teacher-in-charge and BICTA facilitators who have helped us. I would also like to expresse my gratitude to His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office.”

Arshia said, “AI Care is a mental well-being app targetting students specifically but it can also be used by the public.

“The motto of the app is ‘Reflect, Heal and Grow’, which echoes the function of our app.

“AI Care helps our users to reflect on their stresses and maintain a good mental health on a daily basis through the ‘Chat Bud’, ‘Healthy Body’, ‘Healthy Mind’ and ‘Book Journal’ features.

AI Care also provides mental health facilities through our ‘Therapy’ and ‘First Aid’ features.

Finally, the app offers information on mental health.

She said, “Mental health issues are surging globally, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As students, we could see our fellow students having increased stress and anxiety, especially during online learning.”

Moving forward, she revealed, “We are looking to further develop our app and perfect it for youth not only in Brunei but also globally.”

In the Tertiary category, Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) came in second with their product, Smart Paddy Irrigation System, which garnered them a trophy sponsored by Dynamik Technologies Sdn Bhd, a certificate and BND3,500 in cash prize.

The team comprised of mechanical engineering student Mohamad Naqiuddin bin Haji Awang Rambli, computer network and security student Mohamad Zuhair Arif bin Shahrum and computing and informatics student Muhd Safwan bin Ahman.

Mohamad Zuhair Arif said, “Alhamdulillah, we won second place today and we hope that through BICTA, more youth can use this platform to explore innovative ideas and find solutions to issues facing Brunei.”

On the project, he explained, “Our product makes use of sensors in water gates to make sure that paddy fields receive optimum irrigation while providing notifications to farmers on the conditions of their paddy fields.

“Currently the product is still in the developmental phase and is currently being tested at the Institute of Brunei Technical Education’s (IBTE) School of Agro-Technology.”

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin