MARCH 14 — I came into contact with #26 on February 24. I had runny nose on February 25 and consulted the neighbourhood clinic who dismissed any possibility of Covid-19. I consulted the clinic again on February 29 after I developed fever. Again I was assured not to worry of Covid-19 after blood tests were taken to confirm I was not having dengue.

On March 1, I received news from #26 that he had been admitted into hospital since February 27 and tested positive. I immediately went to Sungai Buloh Hospital to test on March 1 and was asked to go back home. On March 2, I was called late evening for admission. I have since been in Sungai Buloh Hospital undergoing tests and all of which showed I am relatively well and healthy despite of the infection. I expect to be discharged in a day or two.

I wish to apologise to all those whom I have unknowingly infected. Fortunately, all those whom I had contact with prior to February 24 are well and healthy including my children, grandchildren, friends and business associates. I sincerely apologise for any of the inconveniences I have unknowingly caused. I have always been a responsible citizen and community person and I regret this very much.

My purpose of writing this is to tell all Malaysians and the world of the sincere dedication of our medical and healthcare workers that I have seen in Sungai Buloh Hospital. I hear the same touching stories from friends who are quarantined in other government hospitals.

There were previous criticisms of the quality of our government hospitals. Having experienced first-hand, I can categorically state that none of these are warranted. I saw only professionalism and patience with compassion by our dedicated healthcare providers from the top consultants to the daily doctors to the nurses and medical assistants.

They do this with every touch of the stethoscope onto patients’ bodies, with each time they inhale the same air, and the times they allow themselves to come into contact with the patients. All of which are done selflessly disregarding the very exposure they put themselves into. These are our unsung heroes!

These heroic ground crews are supported by the Ministry of Health (MoH) HQ who are committed to the promotion of health awareness. MoH’s constant live updates on current situations and corresponding statistics do not pass by unnoticed. More Malaysians are now keeping watch of MoH’s various channels on the Internet and social media to stay connected and informed. For these and the many other undisclosed efforts by them, we Malaysians say THANK YOU!

On a personal level, I am eternally grateful to the personnel from the Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Petaling and the medical team from the Sungai Buloh Hospital whose names are too many and whose faces I cannot identify as they were mostly in Hazmat suits as if too humble to disclose their heroic faces and too shy to tell their names to be remembered.

The very few names I can tell are Dr Haykal Ghazali and Dr Salina Md Talib from PKD Petaling; Dr Yasmin Mohd Ghani, Dr Azmah, Dr Lim, Dr Esmond etc from Sungai Buloh Hospital whose care and patience are the epitome of Florence Nightingale and Mother Theresa.

They and their colleagues all over the country are the true heroes as Malaysia combats Covid-19. We say a Big Thank You to them. I call on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health to herald and acknowledge these silent heroes.

Malaysia must not bow to this unfortunate calamity. Let us stand united to give full support to our government’s effort in combating this global epidemic. May God the Almighty protect us as a nation and spring us to rise back stronger from this adversity.

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.