The Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM) stands with the Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) in urging the government to revise the standard operating procedure (SOP) for childcare centres, calling for said centres to prioritise the children of healthcare workers and first responders.
The latest version of the SOP issued by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development saw childcare centres instructed to separate the children of frontliners from other children, noting them as being a high risk of infection due to their parents.
The MPA called this a slap in the face to all frontliners, saying this communicates that “yes, we want your hard work, sacrifice, and the risk to your own health and that of your family, but we are not going to be there for your children. Your children are contaminated and should be segregated, preferably not even welcome at a nursery or childcare centre.”
“The very individuals who desperately require child care, so that they can serve us at this critical time, are being denied this. We wonder if the Ministry of Health (MoH) was consulted regarding such a policy decision?” said the MPA.
The AMM said it is “deeply regrettable” that the children of healthcare workers are encouraged to stay home while daycare centres and nurseries plan to reopen for other children.
“Childcare for healthcare workers should be prioritised, as reflected in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. The CDC states that if childcare centres cannot fulfil necessary physical distancing measures for all children, childcare centres should ‘consider serving only the children of healthcare workers and first responders’. This is in stark contrast with the SOP issued, which states that the best arrangement for children of HCWs is at-home care,” said the AMM.
The AMM called for the government to fulfil its responsibility to support the frontline healthcare workers who have served the country during the Covid-19 crisis, noting that this includes providing solutions for childcare.
“The reopening of childcare centres must prioritise admission for children of healthcare workers who will continue to work in the frontlines. If the necessary precautionary measures cannot be met and at-home care is the only option, the government must provide additional support as not everyone has a family caregiver at home,” said the AMM.
Alternatively, frontline healthcare workers should be given childcare allowance, as hiring a private caregiver can be costly. The AMM added that, besides financial support, there must also be a resource for healthcare workers to access qualified caregivers who are available for hire.
As a further response to the SOP issued, the AMM also noted that, based on MoH numbers as of April 23, healthcare workers make up less than 6% of the total infections in the country, with 70% of that number not getting infected at work.
“Frontline healthcare workers take great care to fulfil precautionary measures, such as wearing full personal protective equipment, face shields, and maintaining good hygiene, as determined by MoH,” said the AMM.
It added that while it is irrefutable that frontline healthcare workers work in high-risk conditions, the government must take greater care in addressing the risk-status of such workers and their families to avoid stigmatisation.
“We therefore reiterate the MPA’s call for the government to revise the SOP on childcare centres. The government must prioritise childcare for healthcare workers and lead the rakyat in firmly condemning stigmatisation of the frontline healthcare workers who have helped save lives during this pandemic,” said the AMM. – May 29, 2020
