PETALING JAYA, April 30 — Mercy Malaysia has chipped in a whopping RM4.9 million so far to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontliners working in hospitals and clinics across the country.
The sum was used to purchase isolation gowns, aprons, face shields, shoe covers, head covers, gloves and face masks for medical personnel as they work tirelessly to fend off the Covid-19 pandemic.
A press release from the non-governmental organisation revealed that a further RM7.5 million was used to purchase ventilators, powered air-purifying respirators, intensive care unit equipment, intubation boxes, Covid-19 test kits, thermometers, and sanitisers.
Mercy Malaysia also donated a fresh batch of 10,000 PPE sets to the Health Ministry, which was handed over by Mercy Malaysia president Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus to Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Chen Chaw Min at Putrajaya yesterday.
This comes after Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah revealed on April 13 that Malaysia only had two weeks worth of PPE supplies left for health workers.
While the number of new Covid-19 infections is slowing down in Malaysia, Dr Ahmad Faizal cautioned that the fight with the pandemic is far from over and PPE will continue to be essential supplies for medical staff.
“The effects of the movement control order (MCO) are now becoming apparent, with a marked reduction in the number of new cases of Covid-19 from three to two digits.
“More locations have also moved from being red zones to yellow zones, while more areas are now being marked as green zones.
“The healthcare system still needs to be on high alert for at least the next 10 to 12 months. As such, hospitals and clinics will continue to need PPE to protect frontliners from potential Covid-19 infection,” said Dr Faizal, who also heads the National Disaster Management Agency’s pandemic preparedness cluster.
Dr Faizal also highlighted the importance of educating the public on good hygiene practices such as handwashing, social distancing, and clean drinking water.
He added that Mercy Malaysia is currently assisting the government in screening high-risk groups for Covid-19 particularly among marginalised communities such as refugees and migrants.
For more information on Mercy Malaysia’s Covid-19 response, surf over to their website.
