She added that public health experts view the next pandemic as a “when, not if” proposition, and proactive changes must be executed as soon as possible so that Malaysia is not caught unprepared.
Speaking today at the “Future Hospital” forum on the way forward for healthcare providers, Adeeba said it was important for local authorities to learn from the mistakes made during the Covid-19 pandemic to make more informed decisions moving forward.
“Technological advances in the sector must also be further leveraged. Although some forms were already in use, it was not on a large enough scale,” she added.
Adeeba cited the use of artificial intelligence and risk ranking by the Selangor government’s Covid-19 task force in identifying hot-zones before they became wildfires.
“Based on the data, the teams were able to carry out community-wide testing.
“To support home monitoring, my colleagues and I designed a chat box using the Telegram app that allows patients to key in symptoms as they are being monitored at home. We have a dashboard monitored by doctors and if there are any alert signs, these patients can be admitted,” she said.
According to Adeeba, while these were isolated initiatives, they show the possibilities afforded by digital tools.
She encouraged the various parties involved in tackling the Covid-19 crisis to share their expertise in order to drive wider use of different technologies.
Further, she said the workforce must be less rigid to allow greater mobility, with “competencies rather than roles or job titles” dictating the tasks allocated in order to alleviate undue pressure placed on certain groups and redistribute it more evenly.
“Rethink the current workforce. The world has changed immeasurably, healthcare needs to be more agile, with an inter-professional workforce to deliver team-based care,” she said.
“Workers must have the flexibility to work outside the walls of individual organisations and collaborate with other professionals to offer integrated care.”
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