AS COVID-19 shows no signs of receding, a former deputy health minister opined that closing down factories alone may not work in containing the pandemic now.
“The coronavirus is transmitted from human to human, directly or indirectly, and can be prevented by wearing face mask, practise physical distancing and sanitation.
“Many of the clusters happened because of failure to follow the preventive measures. These happened at dormitories (overcrowded, having meals together or sharing toilets/bathrooms), religious activities, gathering among family members, restaurants, bars and other public events.
“At the moment, about 60% to 80% of the clusters are from factory clusters, with many of these factory clusters were formed due to transmission at its dormitories rather than their workplaces.
“So, closing down factories will not solve the problem. Instead, the Health Ministry (MOH) should work closely with Human Resources Ministry and manufacturers in developing safe practices, both at workplaces as well as at workers’ accommodation,” former Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye told FocusM.
Yesterday, Singapore based Straits Times reported that Malaysian hospital were getting overwhelmed as netizens published photos and videos of patients lying on hospitals floors on social media.
Several quarters have called for the Government to impose a stricter lockdown, as the International Trade and Ministry (MITI) continues to allow more sectors to reopen despite the pandemic raging.
Two days ago, Klang MP Charles Santiago urged Putrajaya today to address issues plaguing the Klang Hospital, which has left patients parked outside due to a shortage of beds.
“It was a heart-wrenching sight: dozens of COVID-19 patients were parked outside Klang General Hospital’s emergency department for the lack of proper beds inside.
“This also sums up the state of our healthcare and particularly this hospital, it is overwhelmed as there are not enough beds, exhausted medical frontliners, plus medical equipment that are breaking down,” The Malay Mail Online reported the MP as saying.
On that note, Lee urged the Government to implement public health measures based on data and establish a clear strategy to mitigate the pandemic as soon as possible.
“So far, what I can see as an outsider is that there is no coherent policy direction except for expediting vaccination process,” he mentioned.
More public healthcare intervention system needed
While Lee commended that the vaccination speed is picking up and has exceeded 350,000 doses a day, he hoped that more could be done hasten the process further.
“The 350,000 doses per day is definitely faster than the projected 150,000 to 200,000 doses daily. For this, the Government deserves credit but I hope we can increase it to between 400,000 and 500,000 doses a day,” he stated.
However, the Gopeng MP reminded Putrajaya not to be too reliant on the inoculation process alone as other public healthcare intervention system were still required to contain COVID-19.
He added that tighter lockdown rules, better contact tracing, testing and educational enforcement (if necessary) on adherence to standard operating procedures at workplace and dormitories were still needed in the process.
“These public health measures are necessary to keep the daily new cases at manageable level, until at least 70%-80% of the population are fully vaccinated,” Lee stressed.
He also said that the Government should increase capacity by building more temporary field hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients but stressed that was not enough.
“More resources should be directed to the containment of the virus, via vaccination and other public health measures,” he added.
On roping in private hospitals to address the matter, Lee replied: “Most of the private hospitals are receiving and treating COVID-19 patients.
“However, treatment of COVID-19 is better done at designated institutions or with more efficient use of resources.” – July 10, 2021.
