COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Neurosurgery Practice in Malaysia: Academic Insights, Clinical Experience and Protocols from March till August 2020

Raffiq, Azman; Seng, Liew Boon; San, Lim Swee; Zakaria, Zaitun; Yee, Ang Song; Fitzrol, Diana Noma; Hassan, Wan Mohd Nazaruddin Wan; Idris, Zamzuri; Ghani, Abdul Rahman Izaini; Rosman, Azmin Kass; Abdullah, Jafri Malin

The newly discovered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease introduced to humans for the first time. Following the pandemic of COVID-19, there is a major shift of practices among surgical departments in response to an unprecedented surge in reducing the transmission of disease. With pooling and outsourcing of more health care workers to emergency rooms, public health care services and medical services, further in-hospital resources are prioritised to those in need. It is imperative to balance the requirements of caring for COVID-19 patients with imminent risk of delay to others who need care. As Malaysia now approaches the recovery phase following the pandemic, the crisis impacted significantly on neurosurgical services throughout the country. Various emergency measures taken at the height of the crisis may remain as the new normal in the provision of neurosurgical services and practices in Malaysia. The crisis has certainly put a strain on the effective delivery of services and as we approach the recovery era, what may have been a strain may prove to be a silver lining in neurosurgical services in Malaysia. The following details are various measures put in place as the new operational protocols for neurosurgical services in Malaysia.