PUTRAJAYA, 10 JULY: Authorization letters have been issued to 509 private general medical practitioners (GPs) to issue home surveillance and observation (HSO) orders to Covid-19 patients. The HSO will be provided to positive patients, who would then be treated at the Covid-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC) run by a private medical centre or at their residences, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
“A total of 509 GPs have received authorization letters to distribute HSO bracelets for patients who tested positive and were either treated at the PKRC or sent home to be monitored,” he said.
Dr. Adham made the remarks at a special news conference held today in the Klang Valley to discuss the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) readiness and strategy for dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak.
According to him, the Ministry of Health receives applications on a regular basis in compliance with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act of 1988. (Act 342).
“GPs and private medical centers have strengthened their cooperation in aiding the Ministry of Health,” he stated.
The Ministry of Health is collaborating with private medical practitioners and employers to establish a Covid-19 Assessment Centre and PKRC, according to Dr. Adham.
In other news, Dr. Adham reported that 2,341 completely vaccinated healthcare workers were infected but did not show any symptoms.
“After being vaccinated, a total of 2,341 healthcare staff became infected, including 778 in category one, 1,559 in category two, two in categories three and four, and none in category five.”
Vaccines have the advantage of preventing these people from reaching category five, which reduces severity and mortality. “Vaccines protect healthcare workers from serious infection,” he explained.
He stated that since the pandemic entered the country, a total of 9,392 healthcare professionals had been infected with Covid-19, including 3,411 nurses and 1,229 medical officers.
Meanwhile, Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Health, said the issue of private-sector financing applications did not arise because the monies supplied by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) were sufficient for the management of Covid-19.
A total of RM1 billion has been spent to address current needs, and the Ministry of Health is presently negotiating with the Ministry of Finance for an additional RM1 billion as part of preparations until December, if the number of patients continues to climb./n
