Dr Mahathir Mohamad has suggested a two-pronged strategy for the government to overcome the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.
 
He said that Putrajaya should build temporary quarantine centres to cater for patients who need oxygen support, and to make the vaccination process easier without people being delayed due to the “problematic My Sejahtera app”.
 
In his first proposal, the former prime minister said that thousands of people who are Covid-19-positive are now being asked to self-quarantine at home, with only a certain number able to be treated in hospitals.
 
However, he said those who are self-treating at home would not have proper care if things turn for the worse, or if they need oxygen support.
 
“For this, the government can build temporary quarantine centres or take over some private halls.
 
“These places should be equipped with basic beds, and healthcare staff limited to some doctors and nurses.
 
“What is more important is to have adequate food and oxygen supply. The doctors’ duty is to give oxygen to the patients when needed,” he said in his blog posting today.
  
He added that patients who have recovered and have no breathing issues can be discharged in two or three days.
 
“In this way, these Covid-19 patients can get adequate basic treatment.”
 
The Langkawi MP’s second suggestion is for the government to make vaccination much easier.
 
“This process must be simplified. There are many problems with MySejahtera which we must overcome urgently,” he said.
 
He said that while it was good to have vaccination centres, there were still many who  failed to keep their appointments.
 
“For these people, the mobile vaccination centres must be increased.
 
“These mobile centres only need five people – one or two doctors, two nurses and (someone) to record the details of the vaccine recipient.”
 
Dr Mahathir said the details of the recipients’ MyKad can then be entered into the national vaccination registry.
 
The same mobile team can administer the second dose on their visit to the same place again, he added.
 
“I believe that with these suggestions, we can reduce the number of new cases,” said Dr Mahathir.
 
Malaysia yesterday recorded 17,405 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,061,476. There are 175,113 active cases nationwide.
 
The death toll has also surpassed 8,500.
 
Most of the cases are from the Klang Valley where the quarantine centres are all full. Hospitals have also run out of beds in normal and ICU wards.
 
The government has urged Covid-19 patients in the first (asymptomatic) and second (mild symptoms) categories to undergo self-quarantine, with only the more serious cases being referred to hospitals. – July 29, 2021.