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PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Health has advised against holding elections to curb the spread of Covid-19, which is increasing throughout the country, said Director General of Health Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah.
However, if they must be carried out, then new and stricter standard operating procedures should be implemented and voting by mail should be encouraged, he added.
His comments come amid reports that Sarawak’s 12 state elections, due to take place in June next year, are expected to take place soon, while Batu Sapi’s by-elections in Sabah are scheduled for 5 May. December.
Speaking at a press conference today, Noor Hisham said the ministry was concerned about another spike in Covid-19 cases after an election, as seen with polls from Sabah.
“Our recommendation is not to have elections. But if we must have it, maybe we can look at different means of conducting elections, such as no cross-border or inter-district travel, no meetings, and no house-to-house visits.
“We have learned this from Sabah. We hope not to repeat similar consequences of the elections in other states ”.
He said the ministry will hold talks with the Electoral Commission (EC) on the possibility of also using the postal vote.
Noor Hisham said the ministry was currently using RTK antigen tests over RT-PCR tests, as the shorter turnaround time for results meant isolating positive cases and placing them in quarantine centers faster.
He added that the ministry was considering converting the empty spaces in the nine hospitals dedicated to Covid-19 in Sabah into intensive care units (ICUs) to increase the number of ICU beds to treat category 4 and 5 patients requiring respiratory assistance. .
Noor Hisham also advised NGOs to carry out their own health services without consulting the Ministry of Health, as inexperienced NGOs could risk further spreading the virus.
“The biggest challenge in Sabah is logistics, the state Department of Health is overwhelmed. We need to use the whole comprehensive governance approach as well as the partnership approach.
“For NGOs that have no experience, we will give them basic training. We can complement each other instead of duplicating services at ground level. “
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