Govt should use public transport to ferry Covid-19 patients - Bukit Gasing rep
Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran has urged the government to use public transport to ferry Covid-19 patients to the hospital instead of having them self-quarantine at home.
In a statement today, the Selangor DAP lawmaker said Malaysia could emulate Singapore, which retrofitted buses to transport Covid-19 patients, and France, which ran a special train to ferry patients west after its eastern region struggled with a surge of Covid-19 cases.
He said the government should engage their entire apparatus in the fight against Covid-19.
"The government should be deploying other government assets and drivers, including...
Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran has urged the government to use public transport to ferry Covid-19 patients to the hospital instead of having them self-quarantine at home.
In a statement today, the Selangor DAP lawmaker said Malaysia could emulate Singapore, which retrofitted buses to transport Covid-19 patients, and France, which ran a special train to ferry patients west after its eastern region struggled with a surge of Covid-19 cases.
He said the government should engage their entire apparatus in the fight against Covid-19.
"The government should be deploying other government assets and drivers, including government vans and buses not in use, and even engage the military to assist in this if needed," he said.
Rajiv added that the health ministry should not be relying only on ambulances to transport patients in the time of a pandemic.
"It is imperative that the ministry engages all transport resources in the government, many of which are underutilised due to the movement restriction to reduce the spread of cases. We have the resources; it is time to utilise them to the maximum," he said.
Yesterday, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said individuals who tested positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic would have to self-isolate at home for a few days before being taken to hospitals due to an insufficient number of beds available.
He later clarified that hospital beds are still available but transportation delays had prompted the ministry to request asymptomatic patients to undergo home quarantine until they are picked up to be sent to the hospital.
Former Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the latest government's decision to require patients to self-isolate was a warning sign that the epidemic curve has surpassed the healthcare capacity line.
Rajiv, however, pointed out that many patients do not have the luxury of a single room that they can live in isolation.
"A lot of foreign workers share crowded homes and leaving them exposed even longer will just cause the virus to spread. Those in lower-income housing will also find it hard to isolate. Families with younger children will also struggle to self-isolate at home as young kids can never understand or accept why their parents will not come out of the room or let them in.
"Patients are at the highest risk of infecting others between three days before developing symptoms and seven days after developing symptoms. Even the slightest delay can cause another cluster," he said.
He did not rule out that those who undergo quarantine still may breach the stay-at-home instruction.
"Our battle against this pandemic is far from over and the weak strategies display that the ministry is starting to give up. I strongly believe that it is crucial and critical for the Health Ministry to revaluate their strategies while keeping in mind the intensity of this pandemic," he added.
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