Civil society stepped up in many ways during the Covid-19 pandemic, including volunteering to make PPE for HCWs during the period of shortage. — Photos: Filepic
The world had two pandemics in slightly over a century.
The Great Influenza pandemic (also known as the “Spanish flu”) in 1918-1920 affected about a third of the global population (about 500 million people), with an estimated 17-50 million deaths.
The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-2023 affected about 779 million people, with 7.1 million deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Covid-19 was Malaysia’s worst public health disaster.
The death rate per capita was the highest in Asean and the second highest in Asia, next to Hong Kong.
Malaysia’s maternal mortality rate (MMR) in 2021 was 68.2 per 100,000 live births.
The last time the MMR was at such a high level was in the mid-1980s.
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Decades of public health gains were wiped out by Covid-19.
The Chinese word for crisis, which is “wei ji (危 机)”, comprises two words, i.e. “danger” and “opportunity”.
Leadership was critical in the Covid-19 pandemic, which became an existential crisis for many Malaysians.
This column is dedicated to everyone in Malaysia who contributed to getting the country out of the crisis.
Healthcare workers
Covid-19 brought out the positives of healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly the medical, nursing and other healthcare professionals who, true to their calling, demonstrated professional resilience that saved the Malaysian healthcare system, particularly the public sector, from collapsing.
The medical and nursing professions’ team spirit and satisfaction from being able to contribute at a time of crisis stood out.
The pandemic posed an immediate threat to the physical health of doctors, nurses and others working at the frontline as they were acutely vulnerable to Covid-19 infection, particularly those who had non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Many HCWs contracted Covid-19 and a significant proportion developed long Covid with its severe and long-term effects.
The impact on the mental health of HCWs was considerable.
It was tragic that some doctors and nurses lost their lives while caring for patients whom they did not even know.
The Medical Frontliners Ballad, written by Ahmad Faisal Ahmad Ramzi, chronicles the raw, unfiltered stories of 15 frontliners in 2020.
Civil society
Covid-19 patients queuing up to enter the Covid-19 Assessment Centre at Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam, Selangor, in May 2021. The public healthcare system was almost completely overwhelmed during certain periods of the pandemic.
Civil society played a significant role, particularly at the initial months of the pandemic.
They filled the gaps the government did not have the capacity to tackle or did not focus on at that time.
There are several examples of the deeds of civil society that have yet to be chronicled.
This columnist has personal knowledge of the two examples below.
The public made donations to the Nanyang Press Foundation, which arranged for the purchase of test kits that were distributed to various public health facilities that had insufficient supply.
About RM11mil worth of these kits were donated in April-May 2020.
Subsequent donations went to providing financial support and food for the urban poor in the Klang Valley.
Another organisation, Me.Reka, produced face shields that were distributed to those in need, particularly private general practitioners (GPs) who were not on the priority list for personal protective equipment (PPE) because of the limited supply in initial stages of the pandemic.
Various resident associations and individuals also produced face masks that were distributed to those in need.
The efforts of civil society remain unacknowledged.
Everyone needs to pay tribute to the leaders of civil society at all levels, who contributed considerably to the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Politicians
Leadership was expected of politicians as they were the wakil rakyat (people’s representatives).
But what stood out during the pandemic were the politicians’ shenanigans.
Malaysia experienced political cataclysms the likes of which had never been seen locally before.
Since the general elections on May 9, 2018, and Nov 19, 2022, there were four governments with different prime ministers.
The resignation of the then Prime Minster in March 2020 started the ball rolling.
This was followed by the Sabah elections in September 2020.
Despite expressed warnings about rising Covid-19 cases and the likely spread during electioneering, the lust for political power got the better of common sense.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia spiralled upwards during and after the political coup that led to the dissolution of the Sabah state assembly and consequent elections.
The then Prime Minister admitted, on Nov 18, 2020, that the Sabah elections were the cause of the third Covid-19 wave.
A multinational research team reported on the spatial and temporal impacts of the Sabah election on Covid-19 spread.
They estimated that 70% of Covid-19 cases within Sabah after its state election were attributable to the election’s direct effect and 64.4% of Covid-19 cases in the rest of Malaysia after the state election were attributable to its spillover effects.
Media reports of some politicians, including ministers, flouting the quarantines mandated by the government’s movement control order did not generate trust in the political leadership.
Instead of being part of the solution at a time of a national crisis, some politicians were part of the problem.
Some, who were named by the then Health director-general in an interview on the fifth anniversary of the pandemic, are now in the current government.
As such, it is not surprising that the government has yet to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to inquire into and report on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to make recommendations on the strategies and solutions to strengthen the healthcare system so that it can be better prepared for the next pandemic.
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However, the positive contributions of some politicians stood out, particularly those of Khairy Jamaluddin, who first held the Science, Technology and Innovation portfolio before being appointed the Health Minister during the pandemic.
His leadership steered the successful vaccination programme, which prevented several thousand Covid-19 deaths.
Some politicians assisted some health offices with the provision of needed supplies and some assisted their constituents.
However, there are scanty published reports of the community activities of the majority of the wakil rakyat during the pandemic.
Looking to the future
The country got through the pandemic because of the leadership of civil society and the HCWs at all levels.
The HCWs had almost daily dilemmas trying to balance their professional obligations and the safety of their families at a time when there was uncertainty, unpredictability and limited knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Some HCWs died while providing care to patients.
The WHO has warned of the global need to prepare for disease X, an unknown pathogen with the potential to trigger another severe global epidemic or pandemic.
It is not a question of if, but when, disease X will strike.
Studies report that there is a 50% likelihood of another pandemic before 2050.
How is Malaysia preparing for disease X?
Will the government take the lead or will civil society and/or the HCWs have to fend for themselves again?
These are answers that a RCI can provide.
As former US president Theodore Roosevelt said: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
Dr Milton Lum is a past president of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations and the Malaysian Medical Association. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The views expressed do not represent that of organisations that the writer is associated with. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
