LETTER | Don't forget elderly aged care residents during lockdown

LETTER | Malaysia has been placed under a "total lockdown" for two weeks from June 1 to 14. The decision was made by the National Security Council in a special meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

The statement directed that all sectors would not be allowed to operate during this lockdown except for essential economic and services sectors.

This has significantly impacted the aged care sector as it is indisputably an essential service sector. There appears to be an oversight of this that has led to turmoil amongst operators.

Due to the sudden changes of implementation at the eleventh hour of this directive, the industry has found itself in a quagmire of horrendous inaccessibility and uncertainty of travel permits for staff members.

A case in point is the short notice from having to acquire permits from the respective ministries on May 30 to only acquiring permits from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) on May 31. A change in just 24 hours.

Complicating matters and increasing frustration were the challenges of overcoming bureaucracy in the system as well as the Miti online permit system crashing repeatedly after being overwhelmed by the enormous demand. All these further compounded anxieties.

This has left the entire aged care sector in limbo, confused and angry through no fault of theirs but the incapability of the system to cope and accommodate the requirements of travel permits.

There also seems to be a lack of understanding by Miti in insisting that only licensed facilities are eligible to apply. They need to understand there are many operators whose licenses are still being processed. Processing takes time and goes through many layers of departments. It is unfair for them to be penalised.

In the scheme of things, it is ultimately the elderly residents of aged care facilities who are the ones suffering and, sadly, they may also be placed at higher risk of contracting the Covid-19 virus. If there is an outbreak in such facilities, it will be lamentable and disastrous.

As an industry interested party we implore the government of the day to give utmost priority to this and clearly have a roadmap for workers in this aged care sector to travel to and from work without uncertainty or fear of being fined. The effort to secure this will greatly complement the government’s strategy to flatten the Covid-19 curve significantly.

We implore the government to address this as a matter of utmost urgency to alleviate the anxiety of the industry. A simplified and direct process of application with clarity will go a long way towards achieving this.

CECILIA CHAN is the vice president of the Association for Residential Aged Care Operators of Malaysia (Agecope).