‘Self-MCO desperately needed to give hospitals breathing space’

KUALA LUMPUR – With the government refusing to implement a full-scale nationwide lockdown, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah is pleading to the public to impose their own 14-day self-lockdown instead. 

He said this is vital to provide some breathing space to hospitals, which are currently being overwhelmed due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks. 

Speaking at a press conference today, Dr Noor Hisham expressed his concern of a possible further increase in infections in the coming days following the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive period last week. 

“The spike in cases we are seeing today are from activities in the past two weeks. We have not seen (new infections) after the Raya season, whether more are exposed to the virus from the movements and gatherings. 

“I am pleading to the rakyat to assist the Health Ministry by practising self-lockdown for two weeks to break the chain of infection. This is so hospitals will be able to take in more patients in the future. 

“These two weeks are vital for the ministry to make several preparations, including stockpiling equipment and medicines and increasing the capacity of wards and intensive care units.”

Dr Noor Hisham said intensive care unit (ICU) bed usage in the Klang Valley has hit a whopping 113%, while other parts of the country is at 91% on average.

“If we look, hospitals are indeed in a critical situation.” 

The director-general said he has issued letters to the respective states and all hospitals in the country to make further preparations in coping with the ongoing health crisis. 

Among others, he said the ministry would temporarily convert observation wards in emergency departments and day-care units into ICUs, while more field ICUs will be set up. 

Private hospitals have also been asked to increase the number of ICU beds, while two newly built hospitals will be taken over by the government under the emergency ordinance, he added. 

“We are also looking at the mobilisation of human resources. We will call on health personnel in basic postings as well as postgraduate students to assist in the field.”

Malaysia cannot afford total lockdown: Ismail Sabri

In the same conference today, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had announced that 40% of the workforce from the private sector and 80% from the civil service will be asked to work from home from May 25, among several measures introduced to contain the spread of Covid-19. 

He said the government cannot afford another full-scale lockdown similar to last year because it needs to ensure the economy can continue running, and so daily wage earners and small businesses do not lose their sources of income. 

“Our justification is that we want to balance between health and livelihood. We know that when MCO 1.0 was implemented, the country lost about RM2.4 billion daily. 

“If we close down the economy again, (daily earners) won’t have any income. Last year, we heard how there was a family that had to eat rice with salt water to continue surviving. This is real, especially among the poor. 

“That is why we have to take this into consideration before making this decision.”

He said even shutting down larger industries and companies would have a ripple effect on the rest of the economy, and lead to more Malaysians losing jobs. 

He added that while there is no nationwide total lockdown, the government practices a more targeted approach by way of the enhanced MCO in certain identified localities. 

“All activities are not allowed in EMCO areas, other than to buy daily necessities. People cannot even leave their homes,” he said. – The Vibes, May 22, 2021