PETALING JAYA: Malaysians should take all steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to prevent a new wave, says Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh.
In a statement on Monday (April 17), he said that such measures include masking up in crowded places, hand sanitization and maintaining social distancing.
Below is his statement in full;
Private hospitals are currently experiencing very low numbers of Covid-19 patients admitted both in general wards and Intensive Care Units (ICU) compared to 2021.
Most patients attending Emergency Rooms at private hospitals have very mild symptoms and some have been detected to have Covid-19 on testing without any significant signs of the virus particularly during screening.
We are not worried now, but our hospitals are prepared to face a wave in the event it occurs based on our previous experience.
Currently, our private hospitals are full of other types of medical conditions and with the on-going shortage of nurses, the possibility of increasing capacity is a challenge. Our hope is to have a solution from the government which has yet to materialize.
The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia urges the public to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19, though it is mild now. Simple personal precautions like masking up in crowded places, hand sanitization and maintaining social distancing are still the best way to control the spread.
Additionally, although it is not mandated, the responsibility of taking these steps should be continued by the public. As we are recovering from the poor economy caused by the pandemic, keeping ourselves free of Covid-19 is very important.
A surge of a higher category of Covid-19 infections will be a setback to our efforts to recover and drastic action such as controlling borders and confining the movement of our citizens will not be the best option for all.
Even though public and private healthcare systems are ready and competent to manage another increase in cases, this should not be a reason for the public to be careless with personal prevention of the disease.
Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh
President
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia
– The Star