PUTRAJAYA, May 13 ― "The war is still on and Health Ministry (MoH) personnel are the last line of defence to break the Covid-19 chain of infection. Let’s battle on and give it our best shot to free the country from this pandemic.”

This was the clarion call made by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today when he visited MoH personnel at Hospital Putrajaya here on the first day of Aidilfitri.

It is routine for Dr Noor Hisham to go on Hari Raya Aidilfitri rounds to cheer up healthcare personnel as a sign of his support for frontliners.

"Healthcare personnel have been battling for a long time, almost 16 months. Most of us are mentally and physically tired, but if we do not help to break the Covid-19 chain of infection, many in the community will be infected with this virus,” he told reporters after his visit.

He said MoH was prepared to face the latest wave of the pandemic which has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases and the emergence of new variants.

However, Dr Noor Hisham issued a friendly reminder to the people to stay at home if they have no important matters to attend to outside and to always abide by the standard operating procedure (SOP) to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Smartly dressed in a light grey baju Melayu, Dr Noor Hisham spent about 30 minutes at the hospital.

Meanwhile, an assistant medical officer at the hospital, Mohamad Zahir Omar, 27, said he was sad for being unable to celebrate Hari Raya in his hometown but was grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the country and the rakyat on this auspicious day.

"This is pandemic season and it is my responsibility to do my best to protect the health of the rakyat,” said the youngest among six siblings from Tanah Merah, Kelantan.

Matron Kamsiyah Krosnin said she had worked on seven consecutive Hari Raya before but took it as a call of duty.

"Raya or no Raya, we are committed to our work and need to perform our task as rostered. We need to set aside our emotions for the sake of duty. The lives and health of individuals are important, especially during a pandemic,” said Kamsiyah, who has been serving for 24 years. ― Bernama