Page 98 - MALAYSIA HEALTH SECTOR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD

PART 5: BATTLING THE THIRD COVID-19 WAVE IN

MALAYSIA

5.1 A brief Overview of the National Health Sector Response to the
Brief
Third COVID-19 Wave
Malaysia’s health sector's success in flattening the COVID-19 curve and
halting the transmission in the first and second COVID-19 waves should be
applauded. This success, however, did not stop our healthcare team from
preparing for the next possible COVID-19 resurgence. Several incidents
narrated earlier that had occurred since September 2020 had precipitated
the unfortunate emergence of the third COVID-19 wave in Malaysia with the
consequence of worse outcomes and continued draining of the healthcare
resources in the public health system. Nevertheless, the valuable
experiences gained in handling the previous COVID-19 waves helped MOH
Malaysia be better prepared to face the third COVID-19 surge.

Starting from the third COVID-19 spike that had first impacted the health
system in Sabah, MOH Malaysia has continuously assisted the Sabah State
Health Department in terms of finances, workforce, and medical equipment
in an effort to boost the state’s capacity to handle COVID-19 cases. A
number of PKRCs were erected across various districts in Sabah to
accommodate asymptomatic, stable COVID-19 category 1 and category 2
patients. Hospital facilities were upgraded to increase their capacity in
treating more severe COVID-19 patients. With the help of ATM, a field
hospital was established in Tawau. For COVID-19 cases in prisons or
temporary detention centres (PTS) across Sabah, PKRCs and MTC were
established so that the patients could be treated in prison or PTS centres.

At the national level, the Central Region COVID-19 Unified Command Centre
was then established to manage the COVID-19 response among all public
hospitals and PKRCs in the Klang Valley, considering Klang Valley was also
1-4
transforming into a battlefield that will be as colossal as Sabah . Personnel
and functional mobilisations were reinitiated; this included repurposing
public healthcare facilities such as Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Cheras
Rehabilitation Hospital and the MOH training centre in Sungai Buloh, as well
as the considerations to recall the Peninsula-based healthcare personnel
2-4
who were mobilised to Sabah . Bed availability was also reviewed since the
PKRC MAEPS was closed on 15th July 2020, with all its equipment moved to
the National Leprosy Centre, which was used as an extension of the Sungai

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