'For DG Hisham, happy birthday and thank you for being our superhero'
His image has been likened to a fictional wizard professor and a ruthless dictator, but for many Malaysians, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah is their “superhero”, leading medical frontliners in the war against Covid-19.
On his 57th birthday today, netizens took to social media with an outpouring of creative well-wishes, and #HappyBirthdayDGHisham trended on Twitter with close to 8,000 tweets.
His image has been likened to a fictional wizard professor and a ruthless dictator, but for many Malaysians, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah is their “superhero”, leading medical frontliners in the war against Covid-19.
On his 57th birthday today, netizens took to social media with an outpouring of creative well-wishes, and #HappyBirthdayDGHisham trended on Twitter with close to 8,000 tweets.
Twitter user Myn Ibrahim said she was highly impressed with the dedication shown by Noor Hisham and his team.
"When we have him (Noor Hisham) and his team to fight against this pandemic, it provides us with a reassurance that in the past, we never realised we needed. #HappyBirthdayDGHisham,” she said.
In another tweet, @Niarahoran_ said Noor Hisham deserved to be labelled as a national superhero after successfully bringing down the number of new infections.
"He's not a crime fighter and he doesn't wear a cape. He can't read minds and he can't float.
"But when the world needs saving, he is our 'superman'."
"Do you still think superheroes are works of fiction? Not true. They may not be flying in the air, but they are living among us.
"And I prefer to call them saviours. Someone who saves another person or something from danger - DG Hisham," said @ThiNaGaraNear.
As for his own personal birthday wish, Noor Hisham in a video aired by Bernama yesterday said the most special gift would be for Malaysians to continue obeying the movement control order, after one month and now in its third phase.
"In conjunction with my birthday tomorrow, April 21, the most special gift for me would be if Malaysians will remain to stay at home and maintain a high level of hygiene," he said.
In the initial stages of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia, Noor Hisham had remained largely behind the scene, before he was thrust into the spotlight to take over the daily 5pm press conference from Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.
Last week, China Global TV Network (CGTN) ranked Noor Hisham alongside director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci and New Zealand's director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield - praising them for being trustworthy, forthright and having a calm approach in leading the battle against Covid-19.
Responding to the accolades received, Noor Hisham had in the past credited the overall achievement to a team effort and support from all Malaysians.
Noor Hisham, who is a trained surgeon, was appointed to his current position on March 1, 2013, replacing his predecessor Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman.
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