Securing the Digital Health Shift: The Imperative of Privacy, Security, and Safety in Public Sector Cashless Adoption

HRMARS - The adoption of cashless payment systems has gained increasing attention due to their potential to enhance efficiency, transparency, and service delivery. However, the empirical evidence from public healthcare settings remains limited. This study investigates the factors influencing the acceptance of cashless payment systems among users of Malaysian government healthcare facilities, focusing on perceived usefulness, perceived privacy, and perceived security. Based on 449 questionnaires analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis, the findings indicate that perceived usefulness and perceived security significantly influence the acceptance of cashless payment systems in public healthcare, whereas perceived privacy does not show a significant effect. These results suggest that users prioritise functional benefits and transaction safety over privacy concerns when making payments in government healthcare facilities. Indirectly it shows that the users have high confidence in the privacy settings in cashless payment platform being used at the healthcare facilities. This study extends the Technology Acceptance Model, with the inclusion of security constructs as an important element for cashless payment acceptance. The findings offer an important insights for healthcare administrators in designing and promoting cashless payment initiatives within public sector healthcare systems.