PUTRAJAYA: With Malaysia once again registering a new record for daily Covid-19 cases, the highest one so far, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah warns that the next two weeks are critical as the worst may still come.
The Health director-general said the Malaysian public must prepare for the worst following a continuous surge in new cases.
“The rise in cases started on April 1 and could trigger a vertical surge. We need to prepare for the worst. Please help us by staying at home. Only together we can break the chain of infection,” he said in a Twitter post yesterday.
PETALING JAYA: There is an acute shortage of manpower at the government s district health offices (PKD) and public health clinics (KK), with staff struggling to cope with the surge of Covid-19 cases, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
MMA president Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam said PKD officers are tasked with daily Covid-19 management duties of triaging, screening, assessing, contact tracing, monitoring and home monitoring of Category 1 and 2 patients.
He said they also managed acute and chronic non-Covid-19 cases on a daily basis. The district health officers feel like they are pulled in every direction and with the surge in cases, the system is on the verge of collapse.
PETALING JAYA: As cases of Covid-19 are on the rise, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) says there is an urgent need to vaccinate older people in nursing homes and aged care facilities.
Its president Datuk Dr M Subramaniam said that the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee (JKJAV) must ensure this vulnerable group is vaccinated to protect against the coronavirus and to prevent breakouts, or clusters, at these aged care facilities.
“Urgency must be given to this as there is a high likelihood that due to old age and medical condition, older persons in this category will require ICU (intensive care unit) hospitalisation if infected with Covid-19.
PETALING JAYA: Community leaders have a role to play in encouraging Malaysians to register for the Covid-19 vaccine, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
Its president Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam said the association was concerned over how slow Malaysians are registering for the vaccine, and the sluggish progress which could result in the country not meeting its target of inoculating 80% of the population in time.
“At the rate we are going, we may not reach the target of vaccinating 80% of the population even by the first quarter of 2022.
“We should aim to complete inoculating the population as early as possible and by this year, ” he said in a statement on Saturday (March 13).
President Datuk Dr M. Subramaniam (
pic) said these issues, if left to fester, will affect the standard of healthcare in the country over time.
Among the issues raised include permanent positions and contract extensions, safeguarding the health of all clinical staff, welfare and support for healthcare workers, as well as healthcare workers’ annual leave.
Dr Subramaniam said the pandemic has highlighted severe understaffing in the medical workforce, with many doctors forced to be placed on an increased number of calls compared to normal days.
However, only a small proportion of contract medical officers have been offered permanent positions in government service, with the fate of the remaining doctors left hanging and unknown.