The 20 vehicles will be provided to 15 COVID-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) that are located in Gombak, Petaling, Hulu Langat, Klang, Hulu Selangor, Sepang and Sabak Bernam, to be used for a period of 3 months. This contribution comes in collaboration with Sime Darby Rent-A-Car Sdn. Bhd. Other key individuals in attendance of the session were Brig. Jen. (Dr.) Mohd Arshil Moideen, Komander Pasukan Bertindak Bersama GKVSTF, Dr. Nurashikin Ibrahim, Ketua Kluster, Frontliners Social Support System, GKVSTF and Dr. Anuar Mahmood, Ketua Kluster, Medical and General Logistics, GKVSTF.

This assistance is in response to the recent spike in positive COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Greater Klang Valley; leading to YSD providing critical medical and non-medical equipment, as well as volunteers, to public hospitals and CACs, amounting to RM3.2 million.

Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah expressed, “These Starex vehicles have come at a critical time. Transportation of patients from their homes to COVID-19 Assessment Centres is lifesaving. This is especially true for patients who are deemed high risk, such as the elderly, or those who are pregnant or with comorbidities, even if vaccination has been done early. Some are only mildly symptomatic and do not need to be brought in an ambulance, which can instead be used for more ill patients. With these 20 extra vehicles, we shall be able to reach more people, ensuring ambulances are used appropriately and in the process save more lives, Inshallah.”

Dr Hjh Yatela said, “In the request from GKVSTF, they outlined their requirements for medical and non-medical equipment, telecommunications equipment, computers, vehicles, food and volunteers. We immediately started to work closely with them in early August, and began to coordinate the deployment of urgent requirements, to ease the burden at the public hospitals and CACs. We worked fast as YSD acknowledges the dire situation on the ground, with the unprecedented rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths over the past few weeks,”

“To assist the CACs, we are providing 20 vehicles to mobilise frontliners and to transport COVID-19 patients, for 3 months as a start, at the cost of RM205,500. Following this, YSD will also be distributing oxygen tanks, oxygen concentrators, ventilators and computers to public hospitals and CACs; as well as providing allowances for volunteers for their crucial work at the CACs. We are very thankful for the support of Sime Darby Plantation, Sime Darby Rent-A-Car, IMARET and Rentwise, who have assisted us in realising these urgent relief initiatives. YSD has already committed RM3.2 million for our initiatives under the GKVSTF thus far, and we plan to expand our assistance in critical areas,” Yatela added.

YSD is in collaboration with the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM) Response and Relief Team (IMARET) to provide 20 units of 10 litre oxygen tanks and 20 units of oxygen concentrators worth RM182,000.

YSD is also contributing RM273,000 for the daily allowances of 70 IMARET trained volunteers who are currently assisting with the patients' registration, crowd control, as well as supporting patients' assessments at 8 CACs within the Greater Klang Valley area in the next 3 to 6 months.

150 units of computers worth RM110,000 will also be provided to enable GKVSTF to carry out continuous needs assessment of frontliners, patients and their family members, as well as local communities via online platforms, telephone interviews and face-to-face sessions at the respective public hospitals, Pusat Kuarantin & Rawatan COVID-19 (PKRC), and CACs.

Additionally, YSD, in collaboration with Sime Darby Plantation, will be providing 25 units of ventilators worth RM2.5 million to 5 public hospitals in the Greater Klang Valley.

Since March 2020, YSD has committed more than RM18 million to support 158 COVID-19 response initiatives, that had benefitted 10 hospitals and clinics, 101,220 B40 households, 1,661 families from marginalised groups, 1,847 Orang Asli and refugee families, 20,868 students as well as 28,381 frontliners and volunteers throughout Malaysia.