“ON the occasion of my birthday tomorrow, April 21, the most special gift for me would be if Malaysians continue to stay home and have high hygiene standards,” said Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The director-general of health, who has been in the spotlight amid the Covid-19 crisis, turns 57 tomorrow.

For weeks now, the Sepang-born doctor has appeared on TV at 5pm daily to update Malaysians on the country’s coronavirus situation.

Today, he reported that there have been only 36 new cases – the lowest daily figure since March 12 – with no deaths.

Speaking to Bernama, he said the best birthday gift would be for people to stay home in line with the movement-control order.

China Global TV Network has listed Dr Noor Hisham among the world’s top three doctors for their handling of the pandemic.

The other two are US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci and New Zealand’s top health official Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

Dr Noor Hisham holds a master’s in surgery and a doctorate of medicine from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

He was appointed director-general of health on March 1, 2013, replacing Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman. – Bernama, April 20, 2020.