THE virtual Covid-19 assessment centre to manage category 1 and category 2 Covid-19 cases will be a relief for medical staff in hard-hit areas such as Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, experts have said.

They said the assessments would cover 97% of asymptomatic and mild symptom cases nationwide, leaving the already overworked health front-liners to concentrate on the more serious category 3, 4 and 5 patients.

They also said that with the virtual centre, the government can redirect medical staff from other states with lower Covid-19 cases to support online.

“Public health has always focused on empowerment, and moving forward in this direction is the right model because we cannot monitor everyone,” former health minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told The Malaysian Insight.

“Online assessment as a tool is not only effective but more sustainable than the existing face-to-face practice,” he added.

He also did not deny that there will be people who will violate quarantine, but it can be curbed with a fair and effective law enforcement system in place.

The Kuala Selangor MP said that violators should not complain about the high fines or punishments they are given when caught.

Universiti Putra Malaysia virologist associate professor Dr Chee Wai Yee said that some centres in Kuala Lumpur were already conducting online assessments for serious Covid-19 patients.

She said the assessment should be carried out by telephone as well, for those with no access to electronic devices like the elderly, who may not be familiar with video calls.

Based on experience, Chee said that if the medical staff found a patient to be having difficulty in breathing, the staff would ask for more information such as the blood oxygen index of the oximeter.

She added that currently, if a patient was in category 3 but not having difficulty in breathing, staff may still arrange for the patient to go to an assessment centre.

However, if they have breathing difficulties, then staff will immediately call an ambulance to take the person to hospital.

Chee said that the virtual centres would also help overcome the present difficulties for patients in knowing where to go for their assessments.

She also agreed that the centres can with medical staff shortages, as those from other states with few Covid-19 patients locally can help online.

“The government will be able to mobilise doctors from public hospitals, teaching hospitals, clinics and so forth to support states with more serious conditions,” Chee said.

Outsource to other states

Dzulkefly also proposed that the Ministry of Health explored outsourcing virtual centres to other states or institutions, noting that it is not a big problem.

“They have a large number of doctors, even those in the Putrajaya office, who can be mobilised to supervise patients online.”

Meanwhile, Gopeng MP Lee Boon Chye said the government should have begun online assessments long ago.

“I proposed this more than a year ago and especially now that some assessment centres are crowded, it is an appropriate decision to change to online assessment,” Lee said.

However, while welcoming the new approach, he said the ministry could arrange for medical staff to call patients quarantined at home every day to understand their situation and that would save time.

“Anyone completing the quarantine period can move around without having to go to the assessment centre to have their bracelets cut.

Dr Chong Chee Keong, deputy director-general of health (public health), said the ministry would establish virtual centres to respond to the crisis in the Klang Valley.

The main function of the assessment centre is to evaluate if a Covid-19 patient needs to be admitted to the hospital. – July 28, 2021.