MOH calls for more medical volunteers to join fight against Covid-19

CORONAVIRUS | The Health Ministry has appealed for more medical volunteers to come forward in the fight against Covid-19.

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said 157 volunteers are already being deployed to assist the Covid-19 medical team in stages with another 1,008 to join soon.

"They make up people from various medical professions," he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.

However, Hisham said more volunteers are needed.

"Considering the current situation, we call on more volunteers to come forward and join our medical assistance and medical team for Covid-19," he said.

Hisham said willing volunteers can fill the registration form on the Health Ministry's Facebook page.

The director-general had repeatedly stressed that the Health Ministry should "overprepare" in dealing with the pandemic.

Earlier, Hisham announced that the ministry has prepared 19,200 beds to receive Covid-19 patients.

To date, Malaysia has recorded 2,470 cases and 34 deaths from Covid-19.

In a related development, he said the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) is helping the Health Ministry to boost its capacity to test for Covid-19.

Hisham (photo) said Mosti has readied 10 additional diagnostic labs at 10 institutions of higher learning, one hospital university and one mobile lab.

He added that this will provide additional testing of 1,414 a day or 42,420 a month.

Hisham said the Health Ministry has a total of 25 labs to test for Covid-19 and seven private labs have also been brought on board.

The private labs are Lablink (M) Sdn Bhd, Pantai Premier Pathology Sdn Bhd, Neogenix Laboratories Sdn Bhd, Clinipath (M) Sdn Bhd, BP Clinical Lab Sdn Bhd (Glenmarie branch), Sunway Medical Centre dan Gribbles Pathology Sdn Bhd.

The Health Ministry has increased its testing capacity from 3,500 tests a day to 6,000 tests a day and is aiming to be able to conduct 16,000 tests a day by next week. - Mkini