COMMENT | I read with dismay an article written by a private medical practitioner criticising the leadership of the Health Ministry for being insensitive to the welfare of medical frontliners fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

The timing of this attack was both inappropriate and insensitive.

We are faced with a crisis, the nature of which has never been confronted by mankind in recent history.

It has not only destabilised Malaysia but has also rocked the entire world. There are no set rules to guide us in the fight against this epidemic. The science behind it is slowly evolving and changing daily.

We have an unusual situation where every nation in the world suddenly needs masks, gloves, and PPE by the millions.

This is hindered by supply chains that have become dysfunctional because of movement restrictions and lockdowns imposed by governments. Transportation and logistics supplies have become paralysed.

Given this rather unfortunate circumstances it is no surprise that the entire world faced an acute shortage of these equipment initially. It was not a question of financial resources but that of supply.

Most nations have inbuilt contingency plans to deal with health emergencies, but no nation would have within their plans, provided for a situation where the entire world will be in crisis.

It is conceivable that a shortage of these equipment could have occurred at the beginning of the pandemic in Malaysia. The resilience of any health system is determined by its ability to face and respond rapidly to such crises.

On the whole, it is my view that we have responded well to this crisis. Over a short period of three to four weeks, supplies have been mobilised, logistical obstacles have been overcome and distribution has occurred.

The MOH has been responsive in cutting bureaucracy and simplifying procurement processes to enable the availability of supplies. Malaysians have responded generously in supporting the government by donating both money and equipment.

I believe that the MOH has instituted protocols to protect the most vulnerable medical professionals from being infected.

As the director-general has explained, all medical professionals dealing with suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been given PPE, which explains why none of these professionals have been infected by the infection.

The DG has repeatedly stated that 80 percent of medical professionals who were infected got it from their external contacts via weddings and gatherings. The other 20 percent who were infected were dealing with patients in non-Covid-19 areas.

We can always put up an emotive argument to state that all medical professionals within a healthcare system be given PPEs. This is neither practical nor a judicious utilisation of scant resources.

Nevertheless, on realising that there were irresponsible patients with acute respiratory infections who were not disclosing their earlier contacts with Covid-19-related people, MOH has made the right decision to consider all such cases as potentially infective.

As announced in the media before, the two MOH staff who succumbed to the disease apparently got infected during their overseas trips.

Given this background, it is unfair to label the leadership of the MOH from being callous in their attitude towards the frontliners.

Should the DG or the KSU do hospital visits to inspect the ground situation as suggested?

They might have made some visits. Should they be making repeated visits? There could be two views on this.

Some might say they must, but my personal view is that there is no need for this.

There is a lot of good technology which has allowed us to be connected without physical movements.

The DG can appraise himself of the current situation in any hospital with the innovative use of digital technology.

Moreover, when a top leader of the ministry visits a hospital (usually with a team), the entire team would have to be given PPEs, taking away resources from those who really need it.

From my previous experience, such visits invariably disrupt the normal functioning of the hospital and turn all attention to the visit.

In a normal situation we can live with such temporary disruptions, but given the current crisis such disruptions are best avoided.

It is understandable that medical frontliners need support and empathy at this difficult time. Well-planned effective and continuous communication can achieve this.

I remember during the 2014 floods, the DG and myself decided to visit the Kuala Krai Hospital which was badly affected by the floods. The hospital was an island by itself and was devoid of all utilities.

There was no electricity or water supply. This was compounded by diminishing food supplies. The patients, their relatives and the hospital staff were marooned on this “island”, helping each other and mutually boosting each other’s depressed moods.

As all forms of telecommunications were disrupted, we decided to visit the hospital to give moral support to all of them and boost their psyche.

As all roads leading to Kuala Krai were disconnected, we decided to go there by helicopter. After requesting many agencies, we managed to get Plus to transport us. It was not the safest of journeys.

As the demands of different situations are not the same, the leadership has to respond according to the dictates of the moment.

On a different note, the DG has emerged as an icon of hope during this crisis to millions of Malaysians. Many await his daily announcements with great expectations. We pray he remains healthy to continue leading the fight.

It is in the nature of some to criticise anything and everything done by the government.

This tendency is further propelled by the visibility it generates. It is my hope that not many will succumb to this temptation.

DR S SUBRAMANIAM is a former health minister.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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