Special Interest Group (SIG) on COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has hugely impacted the world and was declared a public health emergency. It has caused an exceptional socioeconomic impact and changed the lives of 7.8 billion people globally.

Following this, the ASM SIG on COVID-19 chaired by Professor Dr Rosnah Mohd Zain FASc was established to tackle the pandemic at a national level.

In its efforts to facilitate public understanding as well as to provide accurate information on the pandemic, the SIG has published several factsheets and expert reviews that addressed various facets of COVID-19 such as diagnostics, epidemiology, therapeutics, and vaccines in an understandable and digestible format.

In addition, the SIG also prepared a Position Paper on COVID-19 that analysed and identified the strengths and weaknesses of the current procedures in handling the pandemic as well as to provide strategic recommendations to prepare for future outbreaks.

Recommendations from Position Paper on COVID-19:

1. Outbreak Preparedness & Response
   1. Prepare and develop Malaysia’s Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies (MySED) III.
   2. Establish the National Policy & Guideline on National Mobilisation of Resources During Public Health Emergency.
   3. Integrate public and private healthcare through healthcare system reform.
   4. Review existing pharmaceutical antiviral stockpiling practices and consider stockpiling other high-demand pharmaceuticals.
   5. Sustainable funding for stockpiling of essential drugs and items.
   6. Enhance the Field Epidemiologist Training Program in the MOH.
   7. Establish Independent Scientific Advisory Group of Expert (SAGE) during Public Health Emergencies.
   8. Implement Infectious Disease Outbreak Management – Go Back to the Basics.
   9. Digitalise Public Health Functions and Response.
   10. Enhance and strengthen public health frontliners for outbreak investigation and response.
   11. Improve national laboratory capacity and response to major outbreaks.
   12. Speed up Industry 4.0 Transformation in manufacturing and labour-intensive industries.
   13. Review policies on unskilled foreign workers to reduce health security risks.
   14. Develop policies on strategic industries for National Health Security Agenda (NHSA).
2. Socioeconomic Sectors
   1. Governmental support for SMEs
      • Reduce bureaucratic processes
      • Transparency and oversight on cash transfers
      • Review internal procedures and regulations to facilitate digital adoption
      • Referral system for loans as alternative
      • Ministry of Human Resources mediation
      • Facilitate business registration
   2. SMEs
      • Review Business Models
        1. Adopt new technologies to enhance operational efficiency
        2. Improve risk management
        3. Implement cashless payments
        4. Formalise SMEs in the informal sector
        5. Implement high occupational health and safety standards
        6. SMEs must stay informed with government announcements
      • Education
        1. Enhance internet accessibility and connectivity
        2. Prepare for online teaching and learning
        3. Salvage private higher learning institutions
        4. Implement new policies under the era of pandemic
      • Tourism
        1. Target Tourism – improving worthiness
        2. Comply with set risk
        3. Smart Tourism
   3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics (BDA) Applications
      • Capacity and capability building
      • Enhance collaboration and data sharing
      • Digital Transformation