Specialist who reveals identity of COVID-19 patient violating ethics - Health DG

KUALA LUMPUR: A specialist of the Health Ministry (MOH) who revealed the identity of a patient to the public by referring the renown individual in Sabah as being admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (HQE) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah is violating the ethics of a medical doctor.

Health director-general, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the identity secret of a patient is a major priority in the medical profession and MOH has always emphasised on the matter.

"I hope this is not a habit as what the doctor had practised as MOH depended on specialists to educate medical officers and medical graduates.

"The Dr is quite familiar with the inner workings at HQE but maybe there is a need to review the protocol on handling Patient Under Investigation (PUI) who is confirmed COVID-19," he said in the column, "Tinta Minda" via Bernama website, www.bernama.com.

He was commenting on an open letter by Dr Tachdijan to the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, '"Covid-19: Wake up, enough talk, take action" which revealed that Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor was positive for COVID-19 and was being treated at HQE as well as the current situation in the hospital including health personnel who were quarantined for being infected with COVID-19.

Dr Noor Hisham said cases confirmed COVID-19 positive and were found to be stable would directly be admitted into COVID-19 ward and the same protocol is used for all cases regardless of their status in community.

He said there maybe situations when cases need to wait for beds to be vacated in COVID-19 ward which happen from time to time.

Commenting on the rise of COVID-19 cases in Sabah, Dr Noor Hisham said the data is presented everyday as well as in the daily meeting with the Prime Minister and the daily COVID-19 media conference conducted via video conferencing.

"I have explained the government's action to ensure the testing capacity at laboratories and increase in beds for COVID-19 cases are adequate together with the purchase of equipment and distribution of ventilators.

"initially, personnel at Kota Kinabalu were deployed to assist hospital in eastern Sabah districts as well as quarantine and low-risk COVID-19 treatment centres. MOH also mobilised staff from the whole country to Sabah and were placed at hospitals in Kota Kinabalu to replace shortage of personnel in Kota Kinabalu," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said the situation became more challenging when health personnel were also infected with COVID-19.

"They need to be admitted into hospital for treatment and close contact need to be quarantined. Nonetheless, the management of HQE and Sabah State Health Department should be commended during this trying time.

"Mobilisation plans continued, services went on and the situation is expected to improve. Health personnel should continue to persevere while more medical teams arrive," he said.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, the ministry will ensure sufficient personal protection equipment (PPE) in all hospitals in Malaysia including HQE.

He said application to procure PPE for Sabah has been approved while a data base system centre developed during the first and second wave of COVID-19 has help the ministry to be more ready.

Dr Noor Hisham said all parties should united to flatten the COVID-19 wave and focus on fighting the virus enemy.