Address technical hitches to make SHA registration less frustrating

Patients in desperate need, including those battling cancer, are being turned away or forced to pay cash because verification is broken. [File, Standard]

In a country that claims to be a regional tech leader, registering for the Social Health Authority (SHA) has become a lesson in humiliation. We are told to dial *147# for a process that is supposed to be simple and accessible. Instead, multiple attempts yield nothing but technical errors, leaving users staring at blank screens, wondering if the system was ever tested beyond a boardroom PowerPoint presentation.

The web portal is no better. When you try to add a dependent, the system often generates the name of a complete stranger—something I experienced firsthand recently. This is a dangerous breach of data integrity.