Here’s how to reduce ‘brought-in-dead’ cases, says Najib

 

One hundred and one of the 282 Covid-19-related deaths in the country were categorised as ‘brought-in-dead’.

PETALING JAYA: The mandatory use of pulse oximeters and providing more ambulances or vans equipped with oxygen equipment are among the suggestions Najib Razak has put forward to decrease the number of “brought-in-dead” (BID) Covid-19 cases.

Among the other actions the former prime minister would like to see implemented are improving the SOS button in the MySejahtera app to allow faster response and providing undocumented migrant workers with amnesty to ease fears of arrest if they were Covid-19 positive and sought medical attention, or simply wanted to get vaccinated.

BID cases have been on the rise of late, with scores of people falling under this category on a daily basis after failing to receive proper medical attention. Yesterday alone, 101 of the 282 Covid-19-elated deaths in the country were categorised as BID.

Calling this figure “unacceptable”, Najib urged the government to immediately mandate the use of pulse oximeters – a device used to measure oxygen levels in the body – at home.

He noted that this was especially crucial due to the condition known as “happy hypoxia”, where people do not look to have difficulty breathing despite low oxygen levels in their bodies.

“This can become a silent killer because Covid-19 patients can die when this oxygen deficiency problem cannot be detected and treated early,” said Najib in a Facebook post.

“Therefore, the use of pulse oximeters should be mandatory. In fact, the health ministry needs to provide a free pulse oximeter for those who cannot afford it,” he said in a Facebook post.

Najib also said that providing more ambulances or vans equipped with oxygen equipment would help reduce the waiting period for emergency assistance for those quarantined at home.

He also noted that currently, the SOS button on the MySejahtera app only directs the user to call the 999 emergency hotline, adding that this has to be improved for the use of those quarantined at home.

“Anyone who suddenly falls ill can click this button, and information, including patient’s name, contact details and location according to GPS will be relayed directly to the health ministry to request for assistance in sending an ambulance or emergency assistance to the patient’s location.

“This is because it is difficult for those who are short of breath to make an emergency call and provide information that is already available on the MySejahtera app.”

Najib also suggested a temporary amnesty period of between three and six months for undocumented foreign workers to avoid situations where they are afraid to report that they have Covid-19, or do not want to be vaccinated, for fear they will be arrested.

In addition, he said, there should be an increase in fines and jail sentences for employers who do not report cases or do not seek to vaccinate their foreign workers.

“Covid-19 does not differentiate between citizens and foreigners, and the country will not be free of Covid-19 if it is still spreading within the community,” he said. - FMT