KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Medical experts representing seven local professional societies urged the government to act and implement quick and firm measures to contain the Covid-19 outbreak and avoid an uncontainable surge in cases.
The group, named the Malaysian Health Coalition, suggested that the government undertake a two-pronged strategy aimed at reducing the number of total cases and to spread the outbreak out over a longer recovery period to allow a more sustainable allocation of front-line resources.
“If the total number of cases are high and they happen all at once, Malaysia’s hospitals will be overwhelmed.
“We do not want Malaysians to undergo the recent Italian experience, where a sudden surge in new cases caused chaos and agonising life-and-death decisions in an overwhelmed health system,” read a statement undersigned by the seven representatives. ‘
This was in reference to the surge of Covid-19 cases in Italy, where 24,747 cases and 1,809 deaths were recorded as of Sunday, the second worst-hit country after China, the epicentre of the outbreak.
The statement today by the Coalition outlined three suggestions for the government to implement; first for Putrajaya to act decisively in prohibiting mass gatherings, saying it should be uniformly implemented across all private, government, civil and religious sectors and industries.
“This is not a lockdown, which is too extreme and unnecessary. Essential services should continue, and citizens should have basic freedom of movement,” it read.
Next, they suggested the government also act firmly in educating the public on social distancing, which they said is among the best intervention methods to reduce a viral spread.
However, with social distancing, the group advised the government to also take into account and ensure adequate support systems are in place for workers, their employers and regular citizens, to aid in the recovery and bolster their potential losses of revenue, job opportunities and public services.
“If we implement social distancing now, we can reduce the total number of cases and distribute them over a longer period of time.
“This will protect against suffering and allow us to save more Malaysians by allocating our resources more effectively and fairly,” read the statement.
Third, they urged the government to deliver ‘clear, coordinated and confident’ risk management communications to all sectors of society, making sure only reliable and verified information from the authorities gets disseminated, as opposed to fake news.
Those who signed off in the statement include the Master of the Academy of Medicine Malaysia Prof Dr Rosmawati Mohamad, president of the College of Anaesthesiologists Datuk Dr Jahizah Hassan, president of the Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists Prof Dr Marzida Mansor, and president of Malaysian Society of Intensive Care Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Basri Mat Nor.
Malaysia yesterday saw a spike of 190 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases, most of which were attributed to a spread that occurred during a religious event that took place between February 28 and March 1, in Sri Petaling, bring the local tally to a whopping 438 cases.
This figure represents the biggest single-day jump in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia to date. It also makes Malaysia the worst affected country in South-east Asia.
