Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

Newsflash/ Sera Bagus

This is the moment heroic doctors working to fight coronavirus are forced to protect themselves using rubbish bags on their heads because of a shortage of equipment.

The worrying scenes were reportedly recorded at a hospital in the state of Kelantan in western Malaysia where doctors are facing shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the video, healthcare workers can be seen cutting slits into blue plastic bags with scissors before placing them over a doctor’s head to try to protect him from the virus.

The netizen who uploaded the images said that the healthcare workers are “going to war without armour” and local media report the use of plastic bags could leave doctors at risk of contracting the virus.

Local journalist Melissa Goh shared the clip with the caption: “While awaiting fresh supply of PPE to arrive, government healthcare workers at a Kelantan hospital are improvising, turning garbage bags into protective suits. There’s a will there a way. (sic)”

Doctors Musa Mohd Nordin and Zulkifli Ismail, both paediatricians in private hospitals, have written an open letter the authorities asking them “urgently secure” the supply chain of protective equipment to “ensure fair pricing” before distributing the equipment to all hospitals designate to deal with coronavirus.

The Director-General of Health in the country Noor Hisham assured that an order for PPE “had been made” and he asked other citizens to avoid using face masks “unless you have to”.

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