Refreshing to be in operating room again - Health DG

Dr Noor Hisham, who is also a surgeon, said he managed to squeeze in some time to perform a thyroidectomy for a patient with right dominant multinodular goitre this morning.

"Indeed it was refreshing to be in the operating room again to calm my 'withdrawal symptoms' and meet all my OT staff. I was also briefed on the workflow and SOP (standard operating procedure) for COVID-19 positive patients that have to undergo surgery.

"Each day brings new lessons and challenges for us to prepare for the worst, and I am amazed by the ingenuity, strength and creativity being demonstrated by our frontline workers.

"As the pandemic crisis unfolds, it has taught us many valuable lessons of unity and solidarity. The onus is on us to take all precautionary measures and maintain good personal hygiene," he said via his Facebook today.

Dr Noor Hisham said because of the pandemic, he and the frontliners were able to connect with each other better and continue to work to explore new ideas and innovations.

"We are in our recovery phase; however, the real challenge starts now for the rakyat to comply with the SOP.

"The rakyat can make the impossible possible as there is now hope and light at the end of the tunnel to end the COVID-19 transmission," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham appears on television at 5 pm every day, giving much-awaited COVID-19 updates and related news.

He holds a Master's Degree in Surgery and a Doctorate of Medicine from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).