KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Local companies and public and private educational institutions are encouraged to conduct more studies to produce antiviral drugs or vaccines in treating viral infections, especially Covid-19.
Bank Negara Malaysia Syariah adviser, Datuk Dr Mohd Daud Bakar said the establishment of laboratories for these studies could be one of the contributors to the reconstruction of the Malaysian economy that has been devastated by the pandemic and subsequent implementation of the Movement Control Order.
“Studies like these are not many in Malaysia and in this way we can be prepared.
“It will be a high economic resource if we are able to release vaccines or antiviral drugs, and these can contribute to the country’s economy while at the same time saving lives and helping the country to move away from this (Covid-19) pandemic,” he said.
He said this on the programme, Wacana al-Quran entitled Impak Covid-19: Tenggelam Dalam Debu on the Sinar Harian Facebook page.
He added that efforts to produce antiviral drugs and vaccines were important to halt Malaysia’s dependency on other countries for the relevant vaccines or antiviral drugs.
Meanwhile, Mofaz Sdn Bhd president and founder Mohamed Fauzy Abdul Hamid said the Covid-19 pandemic crisis was the biggest challenge for the corporate sector.
He said the corporate sector was urged to seize the new opportunities currently available such as producing health products or providing related services to continue to rise in this new normal environment.
“Corporates need to find ‘a silver lining’ in everything that happens now,” he said.
Sharing the same view, Mohd Daud, who is also International Islamic University of Malaysia president said the corporate sector could prioritise technology-based education for those who were laid off to accelerate human capital development via workforce digital knowledge upskilling.
“Education is a great national asset and we are watching our young people and graduates make new changes and shifts in this post-Covid-19 (crisis),” he added.
— Bernama
