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THE HEALTH | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER , 2021
Cover Story | 2022 Prospects |
HOPING for a better year
While 2021 has turned out to be worse than expected , there is cautious optimism that 2022 will be better
BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
SINCE THE detection of the first Covid-19 case in Malaysia on Jan 25 , 2020 , no one could have imagined that by Nov 16 , 2021 , it would infect 2.5 million people and claim a staggering 30,000 lives in the country .
The healthcare sector ’ s workforce , capacity , infrastructure , and supply chain have been placed under immense strain , not to mention the social and economic impact .
The pandemic has exposed the critical gaps in the healthcare system and exacerbated preexisting gaps even before the pandemic .
Malaysia continues to forge ahead with its mass Covid-19 vaccination programme , including giving a third dose and is looking to transit to the endemic phase with the continued existence of the virus . Hopefully , Merck ’ s availability of a new anti-viral drug by the end of the year could be a game-changer .
The Health spoke to several industry heads for their take on varied topics on what they expect for Malaysian healthcare in 2022 . Many were cautiously optimistic that while the worst might be over , we cannot deny that it would be another challenging year . Many issues need to be resolved .
The Covid-19 virus is very infectious , warned Dr Suresh Kumar , Senior Consultant , Infectious Disease Physician and Head of Medical Department at Hospital Sungai Buloh .
“ While vaccination is very effective to decrease the transmission , it cannot stop transmission .”
And as Covid-19 is an unknown territory , he believed the healthcare sector would be under severe stress in 2022 .
Much needs to be done for the nation ’ s healthcare sector , not just for the preparedness for current and possible future health crises , but for other health issues , such as communicable diseases ( CDs ) and non-communicable diseases ( NCDs ).
Health facilities must function efficiently
Malaysian Medical Association ( MMA ) President Dr Koh Kar Chai highlighted the importance of addressing the outdated healthcare infrastructures and facilities and the uneven distribution of the workforce within the healthcare services .
“ Much needs to be done . But looking at these gaps , an extensive audit is required on existing health facilities throughout the country .
He emphasised that health facilities