Disclaimer

1. General Disclaimer

MyVaak is a digital clinical communication aid provided by MyMate Limited (NZBN: 9429052964442). It is designed to assist healthcare professionals in conducting structured clinical assessments with patients who cannot communicate in English, by presenting clinical questions in the patient's native language using text-to-speech. It is suitable for use in GP, emergency department, pharmacy, and specialist settings.

MyVaak is a communication aid only. It is not a medical device, clinical record system, certified interpreter service, or professional advisory tool. By using MyVaak, you acknowledge and accept the limitations described here. This Disclaimer should be read with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

2. Not a Substitute for a Qualified Interpreter

MyVaak is designed to fill the communication gap in the first minutes of clinical contact - before a trained interpreter is available. It is not a replacement for a qualified, accredited medical interpreter at any point when one can reasonably be obtained.

Under the Health and Disability Commissioner's Code of Rights, patients have the right to effective communication. MyVaak supports this right in a communication gap - it does not satisfy the obligation to provide a qualified interpreter when one should reasonably be available.

Clinicians and healthcare organisations using MyVaak remain responsible for: assessing when interpreter services should be arranged, engaging qualified interpreters when time and patient condition permit, and complying with their organisation's interpreter access policies.

3. Not a Clinical Decision Support System

MyVaak presents structured clinical questions and records yes/no responses. It does not interpret or analyse clinical responses, generate diagnoses or clinical impressions, recommend clinical interventions or medications, prioritise or triage patients based on recorded responses, or alert clinicians to critical findings.

All clinical interpretation, decision-making, and prioritisation remains entirely the responsibility of the treating clinician. MyVaak facilitates information gathering; it does not process that information clinically.

4. Not a Medical Device

MyVaak has not been assessed, certified, or approved as a medical device by Medsafe or any equivalent regulatory authority. It is not classified, registered, or listed as a medical device under the Medicines Act 1981, the Therapeutic Products Act (when in force), or any equivalent legislation. MyVaak is a software communication tool. Clinicians should not represent it to patients, families, or colleagues as a certified or regulated medical device.

5. Translation Accuracy and Dialect Variation

MyVaak's clinical question sets are developed with attention to accuracy and reviewed for clinical appropriateness in the relevant language. However, MyMate Limited makes no warranty as to the linguistic accuracy, clinical precision, or completeness of any question in any language file.

Indian languages encompass significant regional, dialectal, and register variation. A question rendered accurately in standard Hindi may be unfamiliar to a speaker of a regional dialect. Where clinical precision requires interpretation beyond the tool's yes/no structure, a qualified interpreter must be involved. If you identify a translation error or clinically significant imprecision, contact us at info@myvaak.co.nz immediately.

6. Text-to-Speech Limitations

MyVaak uses the Web Speech API - the text-to-speech engine built into the user's browser and operating system. Voice quality, accent, pronunciation, and naturalness vary significantly between devices, operating systems, and browsers. Not all languages have a high-quality native voice on every device. If the patient does not appear to understand a spoken question, repeat it, adjust device volume, or check that the correct language is selected. MyVaak displays question text on screen alongside audio, so a bilingual person present at the consultation can also read the question aloud if needed.

7. Clinical Notes Generated by MyVaak

MyVaak generates a formatted clinical note based on yes/no responses recorded during a session. This note is a structured summary of communication aid output. It is not a formal clinical record or legal health document under the Health Information Privacy Code 2020, not a substitute for clinical documentation in the relevant clinical record system, not verified or validated by MyMate Limited for clinical accuracy, and not produced by a clinician.

Clinical notes generated by MyVaak may appropriately be used as a supporting communication document or aide-memoire. They should be reviewed and supplemented by the treating clinician's own assessment and documentation in the patient's clinical record. MyMate Limited bears no responsibility for clinical decisions made in reliance on a MyVaak-generated note.

8. Emergency Situations

9. No Professional Advice

Nothing within the MyVaak tool, on the myvaak.co.nz website, or in any documentation produced by MyMate Limited in connection with MyVaak constitutes professional advice of any kind, including medical, clinical, or therapeutic advice, legal advice regarding consent or obligations under the Code of Rights, linguistic or translation certification, or regulatory or compliance guidance. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions that affect patient care, legal compliance, or organisational policy.

10. Technology and Service Availability

MyVaak is provided on a reasonable-efforts basis. MyMate Limited does not guarantee the service will be available at all times, free from errors, or that text-to-speech will function on all devices or in all clinical environments. Technical failure - including device failure, browser incompatibility, or loss of offline cache - may render the tool temporarily unavailable. Clinicians should maintain awareness of alternative communication strategies in the event of technical failure.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by New Zealand law, and subject to your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, MyMate Limited is not liable for any adverse clinical outcome where MyVaak was used as part of a clinical assessment, any loss arising from translation imprecision or text-to-speech rendering errors, any loss arising from reliance on a MyVaak-generated clinical note as a clinical record, any loss arising from service unavailability or technical failure, or any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from use or inability to use MyVaak.

Your statutory consumer rights under New Zealand law are not affected. Contact us at info@myvaak.co.nz if you believe our service has failed to meet the guarantees required by law.

12. Governing Law

This Disclaimer is governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any disputes arising from this Disclaimer shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand.

13. Changes to This Disclaimer

We may update this Disclaimer from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of MyVaak after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Disclaimer.

14. Contact Us

See also: Terms of Service | Privacy Policy