The MoH played a crucial role in ensuring maximum readiness to contain the spread of the virus. Among the earliest efforts taken by the MoH to prevent disease transmission was the enforcement of health screening at all points of entry.
Noor Hisham Abdullah, one of the strategies was the placement of thermal scanners Bernama, a. This measure also involved airline crews as well as the staff of the MoH Kaos, There was also a group effort between public and private hospitals to accommodate the growing numbers of cases of infection, comprising university hospitals and Ministry of Defence hospitals The Edge Markets, The MCO related to the restriction of movement of people into or out of an area.
The Director-General of the MoH emphasized that the order enforced came under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act and the Police Act and would help to control the spread of the virus Bernama, b. This step was significant, as the situation in China had proved that by isolating the infected group of individuals and practicing social distancing, the pandemic could be contained WHO, a.
Moreover, an alliance involving 38 professional medical societies was established on March 1, to support the MoH in the area of healthcare Malaysia Health Coalition, The intention of this coalition was to keep the community well-informed and to ensure that information made available was true and accurate. Another measure taken by the MoH to cushion the impact of COVID was the setting up of a special fund known as the COVID Fund, to raise money to be channelled to patients, particularly those affected financially due to the quarantine procedure.
This fund initially received RM 1 million from the government and private sectors. NGOs and individuals were welcomed and encouraged to direct their contributions too. Through this fund, RM was given daily to those who had no source of income throughout the quarantine and treatment processes.
In addition, the money collected was used to cover medical expenses such as buying crucial equipment and other supplies. To further encourage contributions, the Inland Revenue Board IRB took up the initiative of offering tax deductions for cash and item donations to help the affected communities in meeting their basic needs and help build their resilience The Star, b.
With regards to funding, The MoH and Tenaga Nasional Berhad TNB established an action coalition to obtain financial aid from corporate companies, government-linked companies GLCs , and other organizations in Malaysia in the move to fight the outbreak. This makeshift hospital, which was initially Malaysia's largest convention centre, is equipped with computers, televisions, Wi-Fi connection, a lounge area, and some other basic facilities for use by patients and medical staff.
This hospital is to be used as a quarantine and treatment centre for low-risk patients, and beds have been prepared to cater for confirmed cases with or without symptoms of COVID, as there is a possibility of cases peaking in the middle of April.
Furthermore, as part of the MoH action plan, public halls and indoor stadiums will also be utilized if cases hit per day. Three thousand retired nurses will return as volunteers to fight COVID along with the country's frontliners Ang, To make the detection process a success, the MoH has been taking aggressive measures by closely working with the police to locate possible carriers of the virus, identifying them, carrying out testing, and imposing a day self-quarantine Bernama, d.
These efforts can also be seen through the collaboration of the MoH with certain participating healthcare service providers that offer swab testing and the collection of samples from individuals and companies within their premises, as well as drive-through test sites Landau, The Ministry also received support from the insurance sectors, both conventional and Islamic insurance, whereby a RM 8 million fund was set up to bolster COVID testing.
Each policyholder could go for a screening test worth up to RM in private hospitals and laboratories. Other than that, policyholders with financial problems and disruption to their income as a result of the MCO and coronavirus outbreak were given a 3-month deferment on their policy payments. The government also showed its gratitude to healthcare employees by increasing their monthly allowance from RM to RM per month beginning April 1, , to be continued until the epidemic ends Sunil, This procedure has been conducted mainly in high-risk areas Bernama, e.
The Ministry has provided awareness programmes on basic protective and hygiene measures to minimize transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in simple diagram form to reach the public easily. This includes hand-washing techniques and the use of hand sanitizers and face masks. In addition, various infographics associated with COVID have frequently been prepared and uploaded onto the website. The MoH has also conducted daily press briefings, conference recordings, and has published relevant news on COVID to increase public engagement and ensure public awareness and access to accurate information.
Malaysia was one of the first countries to come out with various quick responses to protect its citizens from COVID The main aim was to minimize economic and social impacts, limit its spread, and provide care for its citizens. Many contributions were made by the citizens to overcome this pandemic, and this section discusses the responses from other organizations and communities.
COVID has caused fear, anxiety, and confusion. The media, celebrities, and other influencers have appealed to the public to stay at home and avoid mass gatherings. The media has started to use the hashtag stayhome. This hashtag has been used widely in the media, and it is hoped that important messages to stop the spread of COVID can reach all levels of society. The MCO has affected Malaysia's economy. Most companies have their employees working from home, and some workers have had to stop working.
NGOs have been actively helping those who are affected by this pandemic. They have been providing food, shelter for the homeless, and have even given out money to help those in need.
All frontliners are required to wear PPE. This shortage could have endangered the health of frontliners. Prison inmates have also been involved in sewing protective gear for frontliners regardless of their current situation Chalil, Volunteer tailors have helped to prepare PPE for frontliners. Educational institutions, schools, and higher education institutions have had to close due to COVID However, this has not stopped researchers from various universities from helping citizens in fighting COVID For example, most people have started working from home New Straits Times, c.
Malaysians have even stated a preference to stay at home for future protection from germs and viruses, due to fear and anxiety when going to the supermarket, on public transport, or traveling. They have also practiced wearing protective masks when out in public, frequent hand-washing, and avoiding mass gatherings.
As stated earlier, this virus can spread easily by direct transmission from symptomatic individuals to someone who is in close contact via respiratory droplets, by direct contact with infected individuals, or through contact with contaminated objects and surfaces. This pandemic has created opportunities for Malaysian researchers to play their part by developing different technologies to help Malaysians facing the pandemic.
Examples of these developments include COVID rapid test kits Gomes, , the creation of face shields using 3D printing, laser cutting, or DIY builds Tariq, , and the manufacture of sanitizing tunnels Mohamad, In Malaysia, the massive and ongoing outbreaks of this virus have become a serious threat with profound consequences for the economy and financial markets as a whole.
The financial market is predicted to collapse, with the chance of a new global recession Majid, The sudden enforcement of the MCO by the government put various sectors of the economy in jeopardy. According to AmBank Group chief economist Anthony Dass, direct damage caused by the virus can be seen in the tourism and travel industries, manufacturing, construction, mining, and agriculture, with many workers being laid off and others being placed on unpaid leave Murugiah, The forced closure of small businesses, mainly the small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs and services, could probably lead to permanent shutdowns and many losing their jobs, as well as individuals going bankrupt Cheng, The massive spread of the virus has affected the stock markets, and the enforcement of the MCO, lockdown, and travel restrictions have significantly disrupted business activities in various sectors, affecting people's income and causing economic chaos in the country.
To minimize the economic impact of this pandemic, Malaysia has taken several actions to recover the economy. Mahathir Mohamad announced a RM This strategy aimed to stimulate the travel industry, easing cash flow and providing support to affected individuals.
So, in conjunction to World Toilet Day this upcoming Nov 19, , let us together move forward in achieving five-star rating for private and public toilets. Kini Lens. Kini Morning Brief. Kini News Lab. Special Reports. Reach Us. The cleanliness of Malaysian public toilets.
I think you have got what I meant, cleanliness. Well, the particular type of cleanliness which I concern is not about personal hygiene but public cleanliness, the sense of responsibility to keep the surrounding clean. Obviously, many Malaysians are still unaware of its importance.
I was born in Melaka but raised in Kuala Lumpur. I have witnessed the drastic changes that the city has undergone over the years. Unfortunately, I cannot sense any improvement in the way Malaysia people behave. Recreational area is always the victim of eyes pollution; even the public toilet, sidewalk, and many other facilities are spotted in an appalling condition. Signs and posters have been put up to remind people to keep the surrounding clean, but all the efforts are in vain.
I have actually witnessed a man spitting on a park bench when there was a rubbish bin few steps ahead of him. Factually, the condition of public cleanliness portrays the hygiene level of the people, the civilization of a community. Yet, many apathetic 'black sheeps' are willing to label themselves as uncivilized while many others are toiling hard to keep the city clean.
It also improve production efficiency, profits, good neighbor image, product quality and environmental performance. At the moment there is no organised programme for recycling in Malaysia. Efforts are made to come up with their own programme and objective with a single recycling programme with both short-term and long-term perspectives.
The short-term measures will mobilise the stakeholders towards active recyclable generators and enhance their participation whereas long-term measures will aim towards an increased diversion of waste for recycling, and a collection system. Poster, pamphlets, bulletin, and electronic medium such as television, radio, websites, school busses, Light Rail Transit LRT billboards were used and exhibition were conducted and carnivals and seminar were held. Awareness among the public was high but only few were practicing.
Recycling facilities were insufficient and inappropriately located. The available facilities were recycling bins, recycling centers, silver boxes, centers, recycling lorry and mobile collection unit van and charity recycling boxes.
Improvement in recycling practices was possible by bringing awareness, but the task involves huge cost. It can create many job opportunities and calls for a policy that can effectively handle the issue. It includes elementary neutralization and composting achieves the microbiological degradation of organic matter to produce an organic product for use in agriculture, etc. Even though the technology of composting MSW is well established, only a few of the refuse composting plants around the world are economically successful.
The drawbacks commonly experienced with composting are its high cost and low value of the compost products. Subsequently, composting in Malaysia is not pursued as a solution to MSW disposal problems because the quality of product depends on the waste and hence waste separation is very important.
Composting can play a key role in diverting organic waste away from disposal facilities. A compost plant also requires more area. Lack of suitable markets for compost and lack of economies of scale for quantities for the recyclable market is also a major problem. Apart from the above, a landfill disposal will still be required for component of waste that is not suitable for composting. The final product that cannot be recycled, reduced, reused or energy recovered goes to the land field for disposal.
In Malaysia landfill is more preferred way of disposal than incinerator because again of the demographic behaviour. Landfilling manage the waste that cannot be reduced or recycled. Disposal decisions depend on the cost, land availability, population characteristics, and proximity to waterbodies. They include a large disposal area which contains numerous smaller cells and the solid waste is deposited in these cells daily, using specially designed bulldozers, and covered with a thin layer of soil or some alternative cover.
There is abundant unused land and ex-mining ponds which needs to be refilled for development purposes. Hence Malaysian govt prefers landfills to inceneration. It is cheaper to operate and maintain compared to incenerators. It may be feasible where landfill is scarce and located in a very remote area from the actual MSW generation centre. Modern incineration and flue gas cleaning technologies make waste incineration an environmentally viable method. It helps to cut down the operational cost of waste management and act as an indicator to show that the country is a developed nation.
It increases the lifespan of landfills and gives greener environment and improves the climatic changes green technologies by preventing the pollution. There is a lack of policy to promote 3Rs and alow public participation. In April , the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water was established to handle green technology development in Malaysia, and the government has encouraged the private sector to invest in green technology to promote the usage of more environmentally sound waste management towards facing the changes in the global environment.
Policy makers in the developing countries must develop the institutional capacity to respond in long-term policy development by integrating the goals and objectives of the state, community, and business.
Developing countries may want to combine basic strategy of developing waste management capacity along with the promotion of international cooperation to upgrade it into a effective 3R-based policies. The demographic pattern, the life-style and behaviour of the citizens as well as the foreign workers with different culture and life-styles should be taken into consideration before forming the blue print or the master plan for waste minimization.
Currently, the privatisation of the waste management system in Malaysia has not reached full privatisation. The system is still in an interim period, and is not running as expected due to some problems arising from the lack of funds, the length of the interim period, and the unavailability of financial resources. Problems faced by consortia have led to the inefficient operation of the waste management system.
These problems affect the future planning for waste management in Malaysia, and frustrate the implementation of privatisation. These Earth-loving actions will certainly allow us to reduce the negative impact on the earth by adding deeper meaning and joy to our lives.
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