MALAYSIA’S health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has been awarded the lifetime achievement award for his contribution in combating the spread of COVID-19 in Malaysia.
Though this award was presented to him last December 2021 at St Regis Hotel Kuala Lumpur, it is only featured in the April 2022 issue of GlobalHealth Asia Pacific magazine.
At the awards ceremony, Dr Noor Hisham emphasised that the key takeaway from the pandemic was that the public and private healthcare sectors should collaborate to combat health crises. This entailed acknowledging the assistance given by private providers for non-urgent cases such as elective surgeries as well as implementing the national COVID-19 vaccination programme.
“We must unite as one to make the impossible possible,” said Dr Noor Hisham.
Malaysia had experienced multiple COVID-19 waves since the start of the pandemic. The first wave began on January 24, 2020 with three cases imported from China via Singapore, resulting in only 22 cases by mid-February.
This was followed by a second wave that began on February 27, 2020. This second wave was greatly bolstered by transmission in a religious gathering in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur which was attended by some14,500 Malaysians and 1,500 foreigners. On March 17, the first death from COVID-19 was reported in Malaysia.
Malaysia eventually saw higher death and intensive care utilisation rates with the average seven-day mortality rate rising to between 248 and 336 deaths and the average number of COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) patients hovering between 1,400 and 1,600 despite the lower daily cases in August 2021 which ranged between 15,000 and 20,000.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, a special task force known as “Operation Surge Capacity in Klang Valley” was deployed to ensure that all individuals received their COVID-19 vaccination, thus preventing a surge in COVID-19 cases during the Delta variant wave.
With the arrival of the Omicron variant in Malaysia – first detected in November 2021 – Malaysia has seen a further surge in cases to 33,000 daily cases.
However, with the success of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme, the country has seen a decoupling effect where the number of ICU admission and death is 80-90% lower in comparison to August 2022 despite a higher number of cases during the Omicron wave.
Since the pandemic’s outbreak in 2020, Dr Noor Hisham has earned the trust of many Malaysians. They thanked him for his common-sense approach and regular public briefings. This has made him the most visible public face in the country’s fight against the pandemic.
In an interview with GlobalHealth Asia Pacific, Dr Noor Hisham said even with the improved conditions, vaccination and public health measures, COVID-19 cases could resurface due to new variants and relaxation of public health measures.
He added that although the current numbers are decreasing, the risk of COVID-19 spread remains high. The relaxation of the movement control orders may cause people to be less vigilant about following standard operating procedures (SOPs) but wearing masks in public places should be made compulsory.
“The Lifetime Achievement Award was identified to honour fellows who have made exemplary, globally known contributions to the advancement of the healthcare management profession,” said GlobalHealth Asia-Pacific publisher Narender Panjwani. – April 15, 2022
