PUTRAJAYA: As more good Samaritans come forward to produce and donate personal protective equipment (PPE) for Covid-19 frontliners, the Health Ministry has offered guidance on what needs to be done.

Many do-gooders, from non-governmental organisations, manufacturers and even fashion designers, have banded together to help address the shortage of PPE at health facilities.

On Monday, the ministry encouraged various parties, including NGOs, to donate PPE for frontline personnel who are treating Covid-19 patients.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the supply of PPE for frontliners was still needed as it was one of the disposable items they use daily.

The current stock could last for another two weeks in some hospitals, he said.

Speaking to the reporters yesterday, Dr Noor Hisham said the kind gestures were highly welcomed.

“If they are unsure on what the standards are for the PPE we require, we can advise them on what materials would be suitable.

“PPE usage has gone up by 10 times now. While we have adequate equipment for the time being, the concern is on the continuous usage of PPE, so we do need a steady supply, ” he said at the ministry’s daily Covid-19 press conference here.

He said the ministry was mass-buying the PPE to ensure continuous supply.

He added the ministry was tracking PPE stock via an online database, which was handled by officers in the state health departments, hospitals and district health offices.

“The list of names, telephone numbers and email addresses of the officers of each state has been disseminated so that the public and other staff members can provide feedback should there be a shortage in PPE, ” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham cited the difficulty in procuring N95 masks as an example of challenges faced by the ministry.

“We are facing difficulty in procuring N95 masks as the United States is no longer exporting them.

“So we now have KN95 masks from China, which has given us 100,000 of such masks, ” he said.

He also said Health Ministry personnel would have to follow the guidelines on the appropriate and judicious use of PPE.

“There are those who are wearing full PPE when they do not need to, so we must make sure to ration it according to our guidelines, ” he said.

Apart from donating PPE, many organisations are also raising funds to help the country in its fight against Covid-19.

The Star Foundation and Star Media Group Bhd are also playing an active part in urging Malaysians to join hands to support our medical frontliners.

The foundation started the ball rolling by pledging RM1mil towards “Star Frontliners Initiative” to raise funds for the purchase of medical supplies for hospitals and medical staff.

This, together with the funds raised, will be used to purchase medical supplies that will be donated to the Health Ministry.

Donations can be made to Star Foundation-Medical Fund’s Public Bank account (31-9984-9230) via bank transfer, credit or debit cards.

For a tax exemption receipt to be issued, donors need to fill in the Medical Fund Donation Form available on the website listed below.

Established in 2004, Star Foundation is the charitable arm of Star Media Group, and is aimed at delivering meaningful initiatives with lasting outcomes to a diverse group of beneficiaries.

The Medical Fund programme was started in 2015 to help individuals and families in dire need of financial aid and medical attention.

For details, visit starfoundation.com.my.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/04/15/ministry-lists-ppe-guidelines