Selangor Journal
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai delivering his keynote address at the Selangor International Health Conference (SIHC) 2021 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, on November 20, 2021. — Picture by AHMAD ZAKKI JILAN/SELANGORKINI

MMA lauds Selangor’s health initiatives during pandemic

By Alang Bendahara

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — Selangor has done well in formulating several health initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).

Its president Dr Koh Kar Chai said the state had set a good example that others could emulate.

“Selangor’s efforts during the pandemic are all good initiatives because at the point when it was executed, the country, in general, was facing a tough time in managing the pandemic.

“The state administration did a good job initiating the programmes as it alerts the public that all states should be proactive,” he said when met after delivering a keynote address at the Selangor International Health Conference (SIHC) 2021, here today.

Dr Koh also commended Selangor for its perseverance in pushing its initiatives despite facing a hitch with the national health programme.

“In the long run, we should all be assimilated in the national programme whereby everyone would be able to tap into the expertise and resources of the individual states,” he said.

Among the Selangor administration’s efforts in the battle against Covid-19 include the Selangor Vaccination Programme (Selvax), the SELangkah contact tracing app, and distributing the Home Assessment Tool (HAT) and free saliva-based Covid-19 self-test kits to its people.

Meanwhile, on the upcoming 2022 Selangor Budget (#Selangor2022), which will be tabled on November 26, Dr Koh had suggested that the state include a plan to improve access to primary care and alleviate its quality in the state.

He said there are still pockets in healthcare that are not accessible in Selangor, such as seen in the outreach vaccination programme in rural areas.

“This is the two aspects that the budget should focus on, including the training of support medical staff and adequate infrastructure,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Koh had delivered his keynote address titled Effective Primary Care for Our Aging Population.

The inaugural SIHC 2021 was jointly organised with InfoMed, one of the most prominent medical magazine publication houses.

The event and the Selangor International Expo (Medic) were held in conjunction with the hybrid Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS 2021), which takes place physically at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, and virtually via www.selangorbusinesshub.my.

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