KUCHING: State Health Department director Datuk Dr Mohamed Sapian Mohamed has appointed his deputy (Public Health) Dr Rosemawati Ariffin to take charge of Greater Kuching with regard to the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant.
The Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the job involved coordinating the various units, sections, and hospitals under the department.
He noted that teamwork was a challenge especially when it involved multiple agencies of both state and federal governments.
“Coming together is a good start. We did it during the last 18 months, united in our war effort. No reason why we can’t during another hiccup of the current Covid-19 situation. Similar to vaccinations – start small and scale up fast.
“With the appointment of Khairy Jamaluddin as Minister of Health, we should be able to move on again,” said the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Sept 1).
He pointed out that the Sarawak government had spent millions and allocated much human resource to help facilitate JKNS and other federal agencies in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We will continue to do so as Sarawakians’ lives are at stake,” he said.
Dr Sim added that Sarawak like Singapore and the United Kingdom in their post vaccination era would need to live with the virus, albeit with lower severity and deaths, and also reopen slowly and safely.
“However, we still need to be on alert but not panic or mislead with fake news. Play our roles and do our part in non-pharmaceutical and public health measures to reduce community transmission so as to not overwhelm the healthcare and hospital system,” he urged.
In another post, he thanked the Kuching Division Health Office (PKB) and JKNS for coming up with more infographics and professional advice, including information on the Covid-19 One Stop Centre (COSC) at Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Community Hall and the Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) at Stadium Perpaduan.
He said the COSC was in operation between 8am and 5pm from Monday to Friday and between 8am and 1pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays – addressing matters such as swabbing, quarantine orders, and food aid. The COSC hotlines are 082-597539 and 082-597790.
He said the CAC operated between 8am and 4pm daily, including weekends and public holidays – conducting assessments for confirmed positive Covid-19 cases. The CAC hotlines are 082-312749 and 082-313961.
“Though overworked, burned out, and overwhelmed by the surge of Covid-19, the Sarawak government through SDMC and the people of Sarawak have always been supportive and ready to facilitate and to help our professional experts in PKB and JKNS – because you are not alone in the war against Covid-19.”
On a separate matter in an earlier post, he noted that Sarawak Heart Centre’s Department of Cardiology consultant cardiologist Dr Cham Yee Ling was invited to share on heart failure in the just concluded virtual European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2021.
Dr Sim, who is a cardiologist by profession, said the ESC Congress was the largest gathering of cardiologists in the world annually, adding that he had the privilege to be part of the ESC programme committee from 2014 to 2016.
“Talents are hard to find but even from the jungle of Borneo, there are talents to be discovered. Talents need to be nurtured and opportunities to be given. In medicine, it takes not just years but decades,” he said.
He said the retention of such talents was not just a matter of financial remuneration but also the work environment.
“I am extremely proud of the fine young ladies and men that I am fortunate to have the privilege to work with in the cardiac fraternity in Sarawak, in Malaysia, in ASEAN, and all over the world,” he said.
