THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the Health Ministry to work with private healthcare as the increasing patient load of COVID-19 cases at government hospitals may also affect the system and management of non-COVID-19 patients.
The outsourcing of healthcare services such as non-communicable disease (NCD) management to general practitioners (GPs) and cancer treatment to private hospitals will allow public hospitals to focus its resources on managing COVID-19, according to MMA president Professor Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy.
“All public hospitals in the country are overwhelmed with cases of COVID-19 and healthcare workers are under intense pressure,” he pointed out in a statement.
“Urgent steps to address manpower issues in our public healthcare must be taken to ensure the standard of care will be maintained.”
In thanking Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for declaring a national state of emergency, Subramaniam said a second movement control order (MCO) is necessary as cases of COVID-19 have been consistently on the rise with no sign of improvement.
“There is also spread in the community and the infection rate has not come down from the current RO of between1.1 and 1.2,” he cautioned. “There is also concern over the B117 COVID-19 strain known as the UK strain that has been detected in the country.”
Subramaniam noted that with full compliance to the standard operating procedures (SOPs), the public can break the chain of infections and flatten the curve.
“The fight against COVID-19 is a collective responsibility,” he stressed. “Going forward, MMA hopes the government will adopt a whole of society and whole of nation approach in managing the pandemic.” – Jan 12, 2021
