#kerajaangagal168 – Alwi Jantan’s lament is the lament of all Malaysians!
I waited for the government’s response to the great journalism of Annabelle Lee in Malaysiakini, “Frontliners’ dystopian accounts of Klang Valley hospitals ravaged by Covid-19” but there was none, either on Saturday or Sunday.
How to deny the truth?
The cries of the frontliners in the Klang Valley hospitals whether at Tengku Ampuan Rahiman Hospital in Klang, Ampang Hospital, Selayang Hospital and a Teaching Hospital must haunt all Malaysians, particularly the Muhyiddin government.
Medical frontliners recounted how public hospitals in the Klang Valley are at a breaking point and becoming numb at the mounting Covid-19 deaths.
However, many do not dare to speak on the record as they are public servants and could face disciplinary action.
They have also expressed frustration how some senior health officials are being in denial at the dire situation despite a willingness from external parties to help.
The Covid-19 situation is now at the worst point since the start of the pandemic despite a “total lockdown” since June 1.
This is one of the cries of the medical frontliners:
“In the past few days, medical officers have resigned with 24 hours’ notice. They were committed and worked hard but they were exhausted with this crisis and they lost hope.
“Morale is low and there is no leadership or sympathy. I feel tired, angry and helpless.
“Our government hospitals have been starved for too many years due to poor funding, and a starving person cannot fight infection.”
The lament of a former top civil servant, Alwi Jantan in the following poem is the lament of all Malaysians.
O MENGAPA NEGARA KU
O mengapa negara ku. O mengapa negara ku. O mengapa negara ku. O mengapa negara ku.
Covid melanda bertalu,
Arah haluan tidak menentu,
Bila akan tamat belum tahu.
Perintah Kecemasan diistiharkan,
Namun wabak tidak berkurangan,
Rakyat jelata terus keseksaan.
Parlimen tak dibenar bersidang,
Oleh kerajaan pintu belakang,
Titah Seri Paduka tak dipandang.
Mari kita bersatu padu,
Menolak kerajaan yang lesu,
Semuga negara balik maju.
There can be no dispute about the severe rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths after six months of emergency and 40 days of “total lockdown” and the people’s sense of betrayal that all their sufferings have not borne fruit.
In the past 40 days from June 1, there had been 31% rise in Covid-19 cases despite a 17% fall in testing, and a 111% increase of Covid-19 deaths.
The frustration of the frontliners is made worse when they hear of the political elites playing a fool with the SOPs, visiting their friends, holding meetings and plotting as if there is no Covid-19 crisis.
Does the Muhyiddin government have a plan B? After using their two arrows (lockdowns and vaccines), does it have any other strategy to fight the Covid-19 crisis? Or are we going to do the same thing over and over expecting a different result?
Has it thought of using the private GPs to play a more important role, to take some load off the public hospitals? Can GPs be empowered to treat those who have mild symptoms and leave those in Stage 4 and 5 to the hospitals?
The response of the Army to help the Klang hospital was a welcome sight. Why was the army medical corps not engaged earlier?
With the Delta variant rampaging India, are we prepared for Delta?
The junior doctors complained of lack of equipment. Do we have enough Oxygen supplies in all the major public hospitals as we do not want the oxygen crisis that ravaged India to come to Malaysia.
Do we have a plan B with the Delta variant? What is the proportion of our cases which are of the Delta variant? 50%, 70% or 90%?
Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah expected the daily Covid-19 cases to stabilise and show a decline in the next one to two weeks’ time – which means that Parliament will be meeting at a time when daily new Covid-19 cases will be at an all-time high.
Will the Prime Minister give an assurance that this will not be used as an excuse to again suspend Parliament and to extend the emergency?
Finally, are there any plans to ensure that Malaysia will not exceed one million Covid-19 cases and over 10,000 deaths when we mark our 64th National Day on August 31, 2021?