By Sofia Nasir
SHAH ALAM, Jan 22 — Selangor was the first state to provide crucial support to Malaysia’s national healthcare system during the Covid-19 pandemic, said former state health director Dato’ Dr Khalid Ibrahim.
Dr Khalid detailed how the state government took swift action by establishing a public health committee under the leadership of Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, supported by eight expert advisors.
“I retired on January 3, 2020, and when the full lockdown began in March, the state government called me back. We formed a public health committee that became a model for other states,” said Dr Khalid, noting that other states later adopted Selangor’s Public Health Advisory Council framework.
Dr Khalid said this as a guest on Media Selangor’s talk show Siapa Tahu, titled “Pejuang Perubatan Tanpa Noktah”.
He also revealed that Selangor frequently logged the highest number of Covid-19 cases due to the state’s diversity, which he called a “mini Malaysia”.
“The high population density, rapid development, mobility, and the influx of foreign workers contributed to the rise in infectious diseases in Selangor,” he explained.
“Before I was appointed state health director, someone told me that if I could manage Selangor, I could manage Malaysia,” he said, reflecting on the challenges of managing public health in such a complex state.
Dr Khalid, who is now a senior lecturer of medicine and professional and operations deputy director at Al-Sultan Abdullah Hospital, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Puncak Alam, acknowledged the difficulty of managing healthcare in a state like Selangor.