Chinese experts impressed by Malaysia’s handling of COVID-19 [NSTTV]

KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese healthcare experts, who are here to assist Malaysian authorities in the fight against COVID-19, are impressed with the country’s capability in containing the spread of the virus.

In his teleconference with the Chinese doctors, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the medical team, some of whom had served in Hubei province in China (the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak), praised Malaysia’s preparedness in curbing the virus.

Dr Noor Hisham credited the authorities’ fast decision in enforcing the Movement Control Order (MCO) since March 18.

“We are looking at the positive outcome of the MCO phase 1, 2 and 3. As for the current phase, we are well into our recovery mode,” he told a press conference today.

He said the Health Ministry’s team is working closely with the doctors, who will be sharing their experience in Hubei province, as well as conducting studies on COVID-19 locally.

“The Chinese doctors are impressed with our hospitals and the facilities which are dedicated to fighting COVID-19.

“We are optimising our capacity at our hospitals so that we can mobilise and deploy our own experts should the need arise,” he said.

As for our lab testing capacity, Dr Noor Hisham said the medical team from China has advised the use of RT-PCR tests and to rely less on rapid test kits.

The eight medical experts are from various fields, such as respiratory, psychiatry, infectious disease, virology and data analysis. They will continue to provide their expertise to Malaysia during their two-week stay here.

The team is currently making their rounds at hospitals in Sabah and Sarawak.

Source: New Straits Times