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The Health Minister, Adham Baba should explain in Parliament during the Ministerial winding-up stage of the 2021 Budget debate why the government has failed to incorporate private health care after 11 months in the fight against Covid-19 epidemic with the sector’s capabilities under-utilised.

This has caused the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr. Subramaniam Muniandy to stress that the government health facilities should not be taking on this battle on its own as private healthcare is an important component in the country’s overall healthcare system and can add strength in managing the Covid-19 epidemic.

He said it was time to ease the strain put on Malaysia’s public healthcare and look into the combined strength of public and private healthcare to enhance efforts in the country’s management of Covid-19 as well as other healthcare needs.

Dr. Subramaniam said many clinics and hospitals nationwide were reporting reduced patient attendance, some by as much as 70 percent to 80 percent with significant income reduction and sustainability of their practice severely threatened.

Many senior doctors with their wealth of experience are also contemplating closing or retirement, and it is estimated that around 200 clinics nationwide will close by year-end.

The MMA believes ultimately, it is the rakyat that will benefit from such collaboration. Patients will also be better served when both sectors maximise their healthcare services rather than working in isolation.

According to Subramaniam, there are 7,000 plus Health Ministry-trained general practitioners (GPs) and around 3,000 plus private specialists serving in more than 200 private hospitals nationwide.

He said 2018 figures showed that the private sector was served by 14,649 doctors, 5,174 pharmacists and 34,874 nurses.

Private healthcare spending is around 50 percent of the total national healthcare expenditure with millions of Malaysians and non-Malaysians attending private facilities daily.

Since the movement control order in March 2020, the Malaysian Healthcare response had been largely led by the government healthcare facilities.

There were peak pandemic times when government facilities were stretched to the maximum in certain hospitals or areas and assistance or donations were extended by the public, NGOs and concerned citizens.

This state of public-private health affairs is most shocking.

Three days ago on Friday, I asked if Malaysia has lost control over the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Health Minister should explain in Parliament why the government has failed to adopt an “all-of-government” and “whole-of-society” mindset and approach in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, although I had proposed it more than six months ago.

I had warned last Friday that if Malaysia continues with four-digit daily increase of Covid-19 infections, we will overtake Singapore in a week and China by the end of the year as a country with more Covid-19 infections.

The trajectories of Covid-19 infection daily increases in the past three days have confirmed this warning. In fact, on coming Thursday which is the last day of the four-day Ministerial winding-up of the 2021 Budget debate, Malaysia will be on the verge of overtaking Singapore the next day in cumulative total of Covid-19 cases if we continue with four-digit Covid-19 infection daily increases and Singapore records low two-digit increases.

At this rate, Malaysia would also overtake China, the world No. 1 country with the most number of Covid-19 cases and fatalities at the start of the epidemic at the beginning of the year, which is also reporting low two-digit daily increase of Covid-19 cases.

It would now appear that Malaysia could overtake China a week earlier – not by the end of the year but by Christmas.

This is no laughing matter and the Health Minister owe the nation a full accounting in his Ministerial winding up speech.

Yesterday, the Health Ministry reported 1,096 new Covid-19 cases with Selangor making up more than half of them.

The latest figures put the total cumulative Covid-19 cases at 54,775 – with Sabah leading with 26,098 cases, Selangor second with 9,752 cases and Kuala Lumpur third with 4,860 cases. Sabah also leads in total cumulative Covid-19 fatalities with 194 deaths, Selangor second with 27 deaths, Johore third with 22 deaths and Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak fourth with each having 19 deaths – totalling 335 deaths.On On Sept. 1, Sabah was the sixth state with Covid-19 cases on the cumulative count, having 426 cases as compared to KL (2,587 cases), Selangor (2,174 cases), Negri Sembilan (1,034 cases), Johore (751 cases) and Sarawak (699 cases).

In terms of cumulative fatalities, Sabah was No. 5 with Negri Sembilan with eight deaths, after Selangor (24), Johore (21), Sarawak (19) and Kuala Lumpur (18).

Now, Sabah has become the top state both in terms of cumulative total of Covid-19 infections and fatalities, with a cumulative total of 26,098 cases and 194 fatalities out of a Malaysian total of 54,775 cases and 335 fatalities.

The Health Minister should also explain in Parliament its gross negligence in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in trying to topple the Warisan Sabah State Government, which caused the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Sabah and Malaysia and killed some 180 people in Sabah.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 23rd November 2020)

Adham Baba perlu memberikan penjelasan di Parlimen mengapa kerajaan gagal memanfaatkan kebolehan sistem kesihatan swasta dalam 11 bulan memerangi wabak Covid-19 dalam negara kita

Menteri Kesihatan, Dr Adham Baba perlu memberikan penjelasan di Parlimen dalam penggulungan perbahasan Belanjawan 2021 beliau mengenai kegagalan kerajaan dalam melibatkan sektor kesihatan swasta untuk memerangi wabak Covid-19, di mana kemampuan sektor ini tidak dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya.

Perkara ini telah menyebabkan Presiden Persatuan Perubatan Malaysia (MMA) Dr. Subramaniam Muniandy menekankan bahawa sistem kesihatan kerajaan tidak seharusnya bersendirian dalam pertempuran ini kerana sistem kesihatan swasta juga merupakan satu komponen penting dalam sistem penjagaan kesihatan negara yang mampu menambah kekuatan dalam melawan wabak Covid-19.

Beliau mengatakan sudah tiba waktunya untuk meredakan tekanan yang terhadap sistem penjagaan kesihatan awam di Malaysia dan menggembeleng gabungan sistem kesihatan awam dan swasta untuk meningkatkan usaha dalam melawan wabak Covid-19 dalam negara kita serta untuk memenuhi keperluan penjagaan kesihatan yang lain.

Dr. Subramaniam mengatakan banyak klinik dan hospital di seluruh negara melaporkan penurunan kehadiran pesakit, sesetengahnya sehingga sebanyak 70 ke 80 peratus dengan pengurangan pendapatan yang signifikan dan kemampanan perusahaan mereka yang kini terancam.

Ramai doktor pakar yang berpengalaman sedang mempertimbangkan untuk menggulung tikar atau bersara dan dianggarkan sekitar 200 klinik di seluruh negara akan ditutup menjelang akhir tahun.

MMA percaya yang rakyat akan mendapat keuntungan daripada hasil kerjasama di antara sektor awam dan swasta ini. Pesakit juga akan dilayan dengan lebih baik apabila kedua-dua sektor memaksimumkan perkhidmatan kesihatan mereka daripada bekerja secara berasingan.

Menurut Subramaniam, terdapat 7,000 doktor am yang dilatih oleh Kementerian Kesihatan (GP) dan sekitar 3,000 doktor pakar perubatan swasta yang berkhidmat di lebih daripada 200 hospital swasta di seluruh negara.

Katanya, angka pada tahun 2018 menunjukkan bahawa 14,649 doktor, 5,174 ahli farmasi dan 34,874 jururawat berkhidmat dalam sektor perubatan swasta.

Perbelanjaan penjagaan kesihatan swasta adalah sekitar 50 peratus daripada jumlah perbelanjaan kesihatan nasional dengan berjuta-juta rakyat Malaysia dan warga asing di Malaysia menggunakan kemudahan rawatan swasta setiap hari.

Sejak perintah kawalan pergerakan pada bulan Mac 2020, kebanyakkan respons Penjagaan Kesihatan di Malaysia dimulakan oleh kemudahan kesihatan kerajaan.

Ada waktu-waktu semasa kemuncak penularan wabak ini di mana fasiliti kerajaan telah digunakan secara maksimum di hospital atau daerah tertentu, dengan bantuan atau sumbangan diberikan oleh masyarakat dan badan-badan kebajikan.

Kekurangan kerjasama sistem kesihatan awam-swasta ini amat mengejutkan.

Tiga hari yang lalu pada hari Jumaat, saya bertanya adakah Malaysia telah hilang kawalan terhadap gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 ini.

Menteri Kesihatan harus menjelaskan di Parlimen mengapa kerajaan gagal menggunakan pemikiran dan pendekatan yang melibatkan “keseluruhan kerajaan” dan “keseluruhan masyarakat” dalam peperangan melawan wabak Covid-19, walaupun saya telah mencadangkan perkara ini lebih dari enam bulan yang lepas.

Saya telah memberi amaran pada hari Jumaat yang lalu bahawa jika Malaysia terus berhadapan dengan peningkatan harian empat angka jangkitan Covid-19, kita akan mengatasi Singapura dalam masa seminggu dan China menjelang akhir tahun ini dari segi jumlah terkumpul kes jangkitan Covid-19.

Trajektori peningkatan harian jangkitan Covid-19 dalam tiga hari yang lepas telah mengesahkan amaran ini. Malah, menjelang hari Khamis ini yang merupakan hari terakhir penggulungan perbahasan Belanjawan 2021, Malaysia akan berada di ambang untuk mengatasi Singapura dari segi jumlah kes terkumpul Covid-19 jika jumlah jangkitan baharu setiap hari berterusan pada kadar sedia ada.

Pada kadar sedia ada ini, Malaysia juga akan mengatasi China, negara di tempat pertama dunia dengan jumlah kes Covid-19 dan kematian tertinggi pada peringkat awal penularan wabak ini pada awal tahun ini, yang kini sedang melaporkan peningkatan harian dua digit.

Kini nampaknya Malaysia mungkin akan dapat mengatasi China seminggu lebih awal — bukan pada akhir tahun ini tetapi sekitar hari Krismas.

Ini bukanlah perkara yang remeh dan Menteri Kesihatan perlu memberikan penjelasan penuh kepada seluruh negara dalam penggulungan perbahasan Belanjawan 2021 beliau.

Semalam, Kementerian Kesihatan melaporkan 1,096 kes Covid-19 baru dengan kebanyakkan kes dilaporkan di Selangor.

Angka terbaru menjadikan jumlah keseluruhan kes Covid-19 sejumlah 54,775 — di mana Sabah mendahului dengan 26,098 kes, Selangor di tempat kedua dengan 9,752 kes dan Kuala Lumpur di tempat ketiga dengan 4,860 kes. Sabah juga mendahului jumlah korban nyawa terkumpul Covid-19 dengan 194 kematian, Selangor di tempat kedua dengan 27 kematian, Johor di tempat ketiga dengan 22 kematian dan Kuala Lumpur dan Sarawak di tempat ke empat dengan masing-masing mencatatkan 19 kematian — sejumlah 335 kematian. Pada 1 September, Sabah berada di tempat ke enam, dengan sejumlah terkumpul 426 kes, berbanding dengan KL (2,587 kes), Selangor (2,174 kes), Negeri Sembilan (1,034 kes), Johor (751 kes) dan Sarawak (699 kes).

Dari segi jumlah korban terkumpul, Sabah berada di tempat ke lima bersama dengan Negeri Sembilan dengan lapan kematian, selepas Selangor (24), Johor (21), Sarawak (19) dan Kuala Lumpur (18).

Kini, Sabah telah menjadi negeri teratas dari segi jumlah terkumpul kes jangkitan dan kematian Covid-19, dengan sejumlah 26,098 kes dan 194 kematian daripada sejumlah 54,775 kes dan 335 kematian di Malaysia.

Menteri Kesihatan juga harus menjelaskan di Parlimen tentang kecuaiannya dalam memerangi wabak Covid-19 dengan usaha menjatuhkan Kerajaan Warisan Negeri Sabah, yang menyebabkan gelombang ketiga wabak Covid-19 di Sabah dan Malaysia dan telah mengorbankan sekitar 180 nyawa di Sabah.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 23 November 2020)