Health minister Dr Adham Baba said the doctors would issue the HSO to positive patients who would then be treated at the Covid-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre (PKRC) managed by a private medical centre or at their respective homes.
“A total of 509 GPs have been given the authorisation letters to issue HSO bracelets for patients who tested positive to be treated at the PKRC or sent home and monitored,” he said, following a special press conference on the health ministry’s preparedness and strategy in managing the Covid-19 pandemic in the Klang Valley.
He said the health ministry received applications from private medical practitioners from time to time to participate in the Covid-19 vaccination programme,and they were processed in accordance with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).
“Cooperation between GPs and private medical centres has contributed towards assisting the health ministry,” he said.
Adham said the ministry was working with private medical practitioners and employers to set up a Covid-19 Assessment Centre and PKRC.
In another development, Adham said a total of 2,341 fully vaccinated healthcare personnel were infected but did not have severe symptoms.
“A total of 2,341 healthcare personnel became infected after being vaccinated, of which 778 people were in category one, 1,559 in category two, two people in category three and four, respectively, while there were none in category five.
“The advantage of vaccines is that these individuals did not reach category five and, therefore, have reduced severity and mortality. Vaccines protect healthcare personnel from severe infection,” he said.
According to Adham, a total of 9,392 healthcare workers had been infected with Covid-19 since the pandemic hit the country in March 2020, involving 3,411 nurses and 1,229 medical officers.
Meanwhile, health ministry secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said the issue of funding applications from the private sector did not arise because the funds provided by the finance ministry were sufficient for the management of Covid-19.
A total of RM1 billion has been spent to meet current needs and the health ministry is currently discussing with the finance ministry for an additional RM1 billion as part of preparations until this December, in the event that the number of cases continues to rise.