THE Malaysian Health Coalition has urged the Health Ministry to clarify the specific policy changes after its minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar mentioned during a press conference on Sept 1 that the country “can expect to move into an endemic COVID-19 phase” by the end of October 2021.
Controlling virus transmissibility, routine vaccination programmes, efficient testing and improving healthcare capacity are among the areas that require clear policy shifts in order to treat COVID-19 as part of the daily Malaysian life, said the coalition in a statement.
Unless the country’s health system is strengthened, MHC stressed the need to exercise some caution in labelling COVID-19 as pandemic.
“Otherwise, we risk a complacent population or a public administration that stops focusing on COVID-19,” it said.
MHC further urged Khairy to involve health advisors and implementation partners, especially from among health experts outside of the Health Ministry when making decisions.
“These advisors and partners should be systematically embedded within the decision-making and implementation process rather than be consulted on an ad hoc basis.
A good working model, according to the coalition, is the Greater Klang Valley Task Force , which is expected to be disbanded as early as next week now that Klang Valley’s COVID-19 epidemic is under control.
MHC went on to say that while it welcomed the 100-day KPI (key performance indicators) set by the minister, the country is still in the midst of a raging pandemic and therefore, more urgent measures need to be taken earlier than the 100 days.
“Therefore, we suggest the Minister agrees on a phased set of KPIs to be achieved within 30, 60, and 90 days, together with MOH and non-MOH experts.
“This phased KPIs must be publicised for accountability, and also to unite all of Malaysia to achieve these KPIs together.”
The coalition further proposed that these phased KPIs be merged with the National Recovery Plan, Budget 2022 and the 12th Malaysian Plan, where Health must be at the forefront of all policy considerations. – Sept 10, 2021.
