Page 15 - NIH Bulletin Vol. 17 July 2021 #WeMustWin

#WEMUSTWIN

MALAYSIA HEALTH SECTOR

RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The year 2020 will be etched in history as a time of global
chaos and crisis, which also gave rise to opportunities for
innovations. Following the first case detected in Malaysia
in January 2020, the response to the pandemic of COVID-19
in Malaysia is a storied one. Recognising a common threat,
numerous stakeholders within the health sector worked in
tandem to mount various strategies to combat widespread
transmission of the virus.

These strategies have involved organisational coordination
with involvement of the National Security Council and the
National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), all of the
Ministry of Health from central level to the states, districts
and communities. With immense contributions for various
programmes and divisions, experiences and learning points
were shared with the Institute for Health Systems Research
and documented in a report titled “Malaysia Health Sector
Response to COVID-19 Pandemic”.
This first report covers events from January to June 2020, and limitations faced, a “whole of government, whole of
and was launched online by the honourable Minister of society” approach cultivated the spirit of solidarity towards
Health on the 5th November 2020. Despite the challenges breaking the chain of transmission and flattening the curve.
In the following months, the country saw the rise of the third
wave, leading to numerous clusters of infections in many
states and rigorous efforts to contain the pandemic. These
were documented in a second report, “Malaysia Health
Sector Response to COVID-19 – Perspectives from the Field”,
spanning events between July to December 2020.

This report was launched by the honourable Minister of
Health on the 15th of April 2021, in Putrajaya. The fight
against COVID-19 is still on-going, up to this present
moment. Challenges are increasingly arduous; however,
with strong and dedicated leadership, may the health sector
personnel continue to persevere, strengthening capacities
and building resilience.

13