JOHOR BARU: A local hospital and a non-governmental organisation (NGO) have come together to ensure volunteers who are rendering aid to flood victims are safe from the Covid-19 threat.
KPJ Bandar Dato' Onn Specialist Hospital and Iskandar Malaysia Social Hero Awards (IMSHA) collaborated by sponsoring Covid-19 RT-PCR swab tests for volunteers from over 100 NGOs and individuals from the IMSHA Winners Network.
Following the recent floods which inundated parts of Johor, volunteers were swift to respond by evacuating people stranded by rising waters and, in follow-up operations, cleaned the flood-hit areas after waters receded.
Their actions however exposed them to the threat of Covid-19 infection, especially in red zones.
To ward off the threat, KPJ Bandar Dato' Onn Specialist Hospital and IMSHA worked together to sponsor Covid-19 RT-PCR swab tests for the volunteers.
"We care and appreciate the volunteers in helping the flood victims by providing them with the RT-PCR Covid-19 test," said KPJ Bandar Dato' Onn Specialist Hospital's chief executive officer (CEO), Noor Haslina Harun.
"We hope that such measures would curb the infection of Covid-19 pandemic among the community," she added.
The volunteers who took the test were from the following NGOs – Pertubuhan Ihsan Johor, Yayasan Kebajikan Suria, AmalTeam Johor, Kechara Soup Kitchen and Jewel.
Edey Suresh, Founder of Social Hero Foundation and IMSHA, expressed gratitude to KPJ Bandar Dato' Onn Specialist Hospital for their "compassion" in providing the free swab tests to the volunteers from IMSHA Winners Network.
"These volunteers are frontliners in the effort to help those in need," Edey remarked.
He stressed that aid providers must work in stricter conditions, adhering to SOPs of social distancing, using face masks, face shields, using personal protective equipment and staying sanitized.
"We want our volunteers to remain safe while they serve," he added.
Aiding the collaboration between KPJ Bandar Dato' Onn Hospital and IMSHA was the Johor Doctors Association (JDA), a body that has been jointly working with NGOs and individuals linked to the IMSHA Winners Network.
Dr Ng Kim Fong, president of JDA, lauded the cooperation: "It's amazing when NGOs in Johor work together as it enables us to give more to the people who are in need."
At the height of the floods, over 5,800 people were evacuated to temporary evacuation centres when low-lying areas were inundated by the continuous heavy rains that struck Johor.
The volunteers from the IMSHA Winners Network were unfazed by the threat from Covid-19 when they swept into action in rendering aid to evacuees and in mopping-up work when the waters receded.
Romzi Abdul Aziz, of AmalTeam Johor, said the volunteers did have some anxiety when moving into action to help the evacuees but when KPJ Bandar Dato' Onn and IMSHA combined to provide free swab tests, their concerns eased.
"We are thankful to KPJ and IMSHA in ensuring our health and safety while we worked to provide help to the distressed," he said.
"May we always be protected and continue to serve," he added.