Mercy Malaysia Contributes Nearly RM20 Million To COVID-19 Fight

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 (Bernama) -- The Medical Relief Society Malaysia (Mercy Malaysia) has spent nearly RM20 million in contributions for hospitals and clinics in the form of equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline personnel and assistance for people affected by the COVID- 19. Its president Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus in a statement today said that out of the total, the biggest expenditure was allocated for PPE sets and equipment for government hospital and health clinics nationwide. “Nearly RM4.9 million was spent on isolation gowns, aprons, face shields, shoe covers, head covers, gloves and face masks while RM7.5 million was used for the purchase of ventilators, intensive care unit (ICU) equipment, intubation boxes, RT-PCR testing kits and thermometers. “The rest of the funds are used to provide food packs that have been distributed to 20,000 families across the country who are affected by the Movement Control Order (MCO), which includes those whose salaries are being cut, being laid off and daily wage earners,” said Dr Ahmad Faizal who also handed over 10,000 PPE sets to Health Ministry’s secretary-general Dr Chen Chaw Min in Putrajaya Wednesday. Dr Ahmad Faizal, who is also respiratory physician, said the battle against COVID-19 was far from over despite the number of cases showing a significant decline. “The healthcare system needs to be vigilant for at least another 10 to 12 months. Therefore, hospitals and clinics will continue to need PPEs to protect the front line personnel from possible COVID-19 infections,” he said. --BERNAMA