Saviour or Stigmatized? A Malaysia Perspective on COVID-19 Frontliners

SHAPE SEA, Nov. 9, 20202

It has been ten months since the COVID-19 hit the world since the first case reported at Wuhan, China in early January this year. The pandemic is not even close to an end. With a second wave in some countries despite restrictions imposed, which further exposed them as either they are prepared or getting caught in other matters aside from containing the pandemic. It was evident from the protest in Indonesia regarding the new labour law (New York Times, 2020), while the neighbouring country, Malaysia, the political upheaval among politician continues even at this critical time. (TODAYonline, 2020). Regardless of status, the virus does not discriminate in infecting people, from top world leader to unemployed citizen that lives in the congested slums at the outskirts of the capital.

While some countries already passed the first wave of the pandemic, second wave was tougher than expected. Malaysia experience this when the confirmed cases suddenly astronomically spike into three-digit numbers in the last few weeks. The integral part in dealing with either the first or the second wave are the front-liners. They are the core-elements in eradicating, treating and as a first line of defence against unseen enemy in this invisible war. The front-liners or health care workers (HCW) comprises of medical staff i.e: doctors, nurses and their assistants, paramedics, ambulance staff, hospitals porters, physicians, medical officers, graduated medical officers, medical experts, pathologists, police and others (Tan Poh Tin, 2020). They are humans with spouses, families, and children waiting for them at home.  The Malaysia government owes much from this group of people. They are putting their lives at risk every day by treating patients with COVID-19. They have been praised for their efforts, given some allowances by the government apart from their monthly salary as a reward, and treated with respect.  There was also an especial counter payment at the supermarket for the front-liners wearing their uniforms (Tesco Malaysia, 2002). They were even considered as national heroes after successfully curbing the first wave of this outbreak.

In full: https://shapesea.com/op-ed/covid-19/saviour-or-stigmatized-a-malaysia-perspective-on-covid-19-frontliners/

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