Page 6 - Palliative Care, Trials and COVID-19 Tribulations: First-hand experience shared by the experts at ground zero

Preface

The COVID-19 pandemic started more than a year ago, but until today, we did not have a
definitive cure for this disease. The SARS-CoV-2 virus constantly mutated over time,
infecting more people and causing tremendous stress on the existing scarcity of healthcare
resources all around the world.

Here, the experts from ground zero will share their first-hand experience of clinical trials
looking for a cure for COVID-19, like the WHO's Solidarity Trial and the role of palliative
care in COVID-19 as part of humanitarian crisis management.

This book contains a lightly edited transcript from the live webinar series on Malaysia's
experience in WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Trial and COVID-19 updates in Palliative Care
on 21st July 2021. The speakers for this webinar were Dr. Chow Ting Soo, a Consultant
Physician and Infectious Disease Consultant at the Hospital Pulau Pinang and Dr. Richard
Lim Boon Leong, a Consultant Palliative Medicine Physician and Head of the Palliative Care
Unit, Selayang Hospital, Malaysia. Prof. Dr. Goh Bak Leong, a Senior Consultant
Nephrologist, also the Head of the Nephrology Department and Clinical Research Centre,
Serdang Hospital and Dato’ Dr Goh Pik Pin, former director of the Institute for Clinical
Research (ICR) co-chaired this webinar session. The transcript was prepared by Ms.Khairul
Nisa’ Ishak, Ms.Anis Suraya Muhamad Nawawai, Ms.Syahirah Farhana Mohd Saleh, Ms.
Yip Yan Yee and Dr. Chew Cheng Hoon from the Institute for Clinical Research, NIH
Malaysia. This is intended for sharing among healthcare professionals, not for the public.

The objective of the webinar series was to disseminate clinical knowledge and experts'
experience to medical practitioners. This is also a Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) activity for all health care providers and allied health personnel in Malaysia. This
weekly live webinar was organized by the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR), National
Institutes of Health (NIH) Malaysia.