KUALA LUMPUR (March 14): I came into contact with patient no. 26 on Feb 24. I had a runny nose the following day and consulted the neighborhood clinic, in which the doctor dismissed any possibility of Covid-19.

I consulted the clinic again on Feb 29 after I developed a fever. Again I was assured not to worry about being infected with Covid-19, and a blood test was taken to confirm that I was not having dengue.

On March 1, I received news from patient no. 26 that he had been admitted to hospital since Feb 27 and he was tested positive.

I immediately rushed to Sungai Buloh Hospital for a test and I was asked to go home after that. I received a call informing me to be admitted to hospital the following evening. I have since been in Sungai Buloh Hospital undergoing tests, all of which showed I am relatively well and healthy in spite of the infection. I expect to be discharged in the next one or two days.

I wish to apologise to all whom I have unknowingly infected.

Fortunately, all of those I had contact with prior to Feb 24 are well and healthy, including my children, grandchildren, friends and business associates. I sincerely apologise for any inconveniences I have unknowingly caused. I have always been a responsible citizen and community person and I regret this very much.

The purpose of me writing this is to tell Malaysians and the world of the sincere dedication of our medical and healthcare workers whom I have encountered in Sungai Buloh Hospital. I hear the same touching stories from friends who are quarantined in other government hospitals.

There were criticisms of the quality of our government hospitals. Having experienced first hand, I can categorically state that none of them are warranted.  I saw only professionalism and patience with compassion by our dedicated healthcare providers, from the top consultants to the daily doctors, to the nurses and medical assistants.

They do this with every touch of the stethoscope on patients’ bodies, with each time they inhale the same air, and the times they allow themselves to come in contact with the patients. All of which are done selflessly disregarding the exposure they put themselves into. They are our unsung heroes!

These heroic ground crews, supported by the Ministry of Health (MoH), are committed to the promotion of health awareness.

MoH's constant live updates on current situations and corresponding statistics do not go unnoticed. More Malaysians are now keeping watch of MoH’s various channels over the Internet and social media to stay informed.

I am eternally grateful to the personnel from the Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah (PKD) Petaling and the medical team from the Sungai Buloh Hospital, all of whom are too many to name and whose faces I cannot identify as they were mostly in Hazmat suits as if too humble to disclose their heroic faces and too shy to reveal their names to be remembered.

The very few names I can tell are Dr Haykal Ghazali and Dr Salina Md Talib from PKD Petaling, Dr Yasmin Mohd Ghani, Dr Azmah, Dr Lim, Dr Esmond, etc from Sungai Buloh Hospital whose care and patience are the epitome of Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa.

They and their colleagues are the true heroes as Malaysia combats Covid-19. I say a Big Thank You to them. I call on the Prime Minister and the MoH to herald and acknowledge these silent heroes.

Malaysia must not bow to this unfortunate calamity. Let us stand united to give full support to our government's effort in combating this global epidemic. May God the Almighty protect us as a nation and spring us to rise back stronger from this adversity.