Malaysia's Surveillance Response to COVID-19: Could We Perform Better?

Introduction The spread of COVID-19 rapidly brought unprecedented strains on health systems. The establishment of an effective and real-time surveillance system is  critical to facilitate timely planning and outbreak management. 

Objective To identify areas for improvements in Malaysia’s health surveillance system during outbreak.

Method Using  the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan document, an online  survey consisting of open-ended questions were sent out to the public and identified key informants between late March and mid-April 2020. The responses were exported to NVIVO-12 software and using  content analysis,  issues related to Malaysia’s  health system response to COVID-19 were identified. Issues on surveillance were deductively grouped based on the surveillance domains identified (System Structure, Core Function, Surveillance Quality & Support Function) in World Health Organization document.

Results The survey captured responses from 16 key informants and 60 public respondents. We identified areas for improvement related to the four surveillance domains. Areas requiring immediate versus long-term attention were also highlighted. For example, mobilisation of healthcare personnel to highly affected districts to facilitate sampling process, contact tracing and data analysis required urgent action. Conversely, the development of competency in the surveillance processes needed continuous regular training over time.

Conclusion Health system issues for an outbreak need to be prioritised and addressed. Learning from past experiences is imperative to strengthen our health system including surveillance activities to better manage future outbreaks.