It says the sector has always been ready to assist in the fight against the pandemic and there was no need to use the emergency rules.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib said the proclamation of an emergency appeared to involve harnessing the resources of the private sector, based on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s speech on Tuesday.

He said this could mean some private hospitals and medical facilities being requisitioned to increase the public health sector’s capacity for intensive care, beds and specialised personnel.

However, he told FMT that private healthcare stakeholders, particularly hospitals, had been trying to get some form of a public-private operational framework for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 cooperation and funding since early 2020.

“However, there has been limited movement on this issue. The latest decision must come as a shock, as the government seems to want to use emergency legislation to get what was willingly offered,” he said.

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said it was “ridiculous” to declare an emergency simply to get the private sector involved in the Covid-19 fight.

He told FMT that the prime minister only needed to meet with the owners of private hospitals and facilities in order to discuss how they could help.

“Easily 70% of private hospitals are owned by government-linked companies anyway,” he added.

Muhyiddin held a meeting with the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) after he announced a nationwide emergency in a national address, during which he said the government was considering using private healthcare assets in the fight against Covid-19.

The APHM dismissed rumours that the sector was being nationalised, clarifying that Muhyiddin wanted private hospitals to help where they could in terms of infrastructure, manpower and other resources.

Meanwhile, Azrul said emergency powers meant little until the masses accepted the fact that each one played an important role in preventing the virus from spreading.

The key to reducing infections was in complying with SOPs, he said, emphasising that the people needed to take care of themselves and those around them, even beyond the watchful eyes of law enforcement officials.

“We need to take responsibility and not only do so under threat of punishment or penalty.”

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