Medics don volunteer-made PPE amid distribution woes, doctor says thanks
CORONAVIRUS | A doctor has taken to Twitter to share how Covid-19 frontliners are using personal protective equipment (PPE) that have been made by volunteers using donated material.
Hospital Kuala Lumpur director Dr Herric Corray was also previously seen helping fashion the equipment...
- UPDATED 4.08PM | Added background to the PPE shortage issue.
CORONAVIRUS | A public hospital doctor has taken to Twitter to share how Covid-19 frontliners are using personal protective equipment (PPE) that have been donated and made by volunteers, amid distribution hold-ups of the crucial gear.
This comes after Hospital Kuala Lumpur posted a video of its director, Dr Herric Corray joining other personnel to sew and produce do-it-yourself PPE in the hospital library.
In a series of posts last night, the emergency department doctor who identifies himself as “Azman Rocks” on Twitter shared a photograph of hospital staff suited up in PPE.
“Every single PPE you see in this picture (except the masks) was made using non-woven fabric that was donated and made by volunteers.
“Truly blessed and proud to live among people with (a) sense of charity close to their hearts. Thank you,” he said.
Azman explained that six kilometres of fabric was donated by a fabric manufacturer after the hospital approached the company to purchase the material.
The donated material was then distributed to volunteers who produced 1,500 sets of PPE.
A PPE kit can include a full body suit, gloves, shoe covers and face shields.
“6km sounds a lot but that translates to 1,500 sets of PPE. That would last us (just the emergency department) about 10 days,” he said.
He declined to identify the hospital he works at, but it is believed to be located in the Klang Valley.
MOH: No shortage of PPE
Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah previously said that there was no shortage of PPE but distribution issues persisted.
He reiterated this yesterday, after first mentioning distribution issues last month when photographs of hospitals fashioning PPE out of plastics shopping bags circulated online.
Noor Hisham's explanation yesterday came after KPJ Damansara Specialist Centre’s Dr Musa Nordin pointed out that medical staff were running low on PPE kits and thus faced the risk of Covid-19 exposure.
"The DG and his top officers in the ivory towers of Putrajaya must descend to ground zero, that is the Covid-19 hospitals, district health departments and public health clinics and see and feel the pain and misery of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals bereft of basic PPE, to shoulder the nursing of critical patients in intensive care units, and ramp-up screening with 17,000 tests a day," he said in a social media posting.
To date, no Covid-19 ward personnel have been infected due to lack of PPE, but some healthcare workers have contracted the virus while working in respiratory wards treating patients who did not disclose travel history or earlier exposure to Covid-19 patients, Noor Hisham said.
He added that the ministry is also looking at the rate at which PPE is used in hospitals to ensure supply is adequate.
Umno Veterans urge KPJ to sack specialist
Musa has come under fire for his posting, which is deemed to be unnecessarily critical of the Ministry of Health in its fight against Covid-19.
Umno Veteran secretary-general Mustapha Yaakub has urged KPJ Damansara to sack Musa, who is a consultant pediatric specialist.
In response, Musa said he has the utmost respect for KKM staff but maintains his call for the ministry to step up the supply of PPE to healthcare workers.
The Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (Imaret) advisor added the NGO has had numerous requests from public hospitals nationwide seeking help with PPE supply.
"We are receiving many SOS (calls for help) from Covid-19 hospitals, intensive care units, laboratories, district health centres and public health clinics. Why? For raising this issue I was vilified. God-willing, we will do our best to fill the gaps," he said on Twitter.
Keep up with the latest information on the outbreak in the country with Malaysiakini's free Covid-19 tracker.
Malaysiakini is providing free access to the most important updates on the coronavirus pandemic. You can find them here.
Help keep independent media alive - subscribe to Malaysiakini.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.