LETTER: Healthcare workers have been tirelessly caring for Covid-19 patients in hospitals and quarantine centres.
However, once the patients are discharged, they are left on their own, except those with medical conditions that need to be followed up.
Based on the study by the Health Ministry on stage 4 and 5 patients who had recovered, 66 per cent of them reported experiencing post-Covid condition, or long Covid, for up to 12 weeks or more.
Studies on Covid patients (with mild and serious symptoms) in the United Kingdom and United States also found approximately 10 to 30 per cent of them suffering from long Covid.
So, how about our patients who have recovered and are back in the community?
They may still suffer from symptoms and do not know how to ask for medical assistance.
On the other hand, there are also patients with mild symptoms allowed to quarantine at home.
Although there are systems in place to report their condition, patients and carers are not well informed on what to observe, or when to seek medical attention when their condition deteriorates.
Consequently, we noted that up to end of May, around 293 of the 2,796 Covid-19 deaths were "brought in dead" (BID) cases.
Other factors contributing to the increase in BID cases may be the attitude of patients and carers, who are ignorant or thought lightly of their symptoms; patients not being aware that they are infected with Covid-19 as they are not tested; a virulent strain resulting in rapid deterioration of the patients' condition; and, lack of medical facilities in remote areas like those in Sabah and Sarawak.
Healthcare workers are the most qualified personnel to care for the above two groups. However, our healthcare workers are overwhelmed with patients, besides being engaged in contact tracing, surveillance and isolation of close contacts.
They may be unable to cope with the large number of patients in the community.
Therefore, support from the community, especially from Covid-19 patients who have recovered fully, may be very useful.
We are aware that there may be one or two private groups formed by ex-Covid-19 patients. One of them is the Facebook group "Covid-19 Malaysian Stories".
These support groups could play a more active role in offering assistance to support patients on home quarantine and those suffering from long Covid.
The Health Ministry may need to set up a formal group with clinicians involved as the resource person and to provide training to volunteers.
They may need to be registered with the ministry before being allowed to offer their services.
With the training and registration system in place, they may prevent BID cases by detecting severe symptoms so that medical treatment can be given earlier.
PROFESSOR DR MOY FOONG MING
Department of Social & Preventive Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times