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PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has called for more support to be provided to Sabah’s health system, which he said is now inundated and overwhelmed by the increase in Covid-19 cases.
Anwar said that the Health Ministry should provide full disclosure of its strategy to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Sabah.
He said the government should consider providing emergency aid to underserved communities, especially since most of the state is under the conditional movement control order and millions of Sabahans cannot resume their regular work.
Anwar noted that 54% of new Covid-19 cases in Malaysia since October 1 were attributed to Sabah, and said it was equally concerning that the death rate for infected patients in Sabah was very high.
“Sabah’s health system, already underfunded, understaffed and resourced, is now inundated and overwhelmed by the epidemic,” he said.
“The health ministry has been diverting resources to Sabah, but the ministry cannot do this alone.
“This effort needs the political support of strong leadership and the involvement of the National Disaster Management Agency and other ministries to mobilize adequate medical equipment and equipment, improve logistics and provide a broader scope of aid.”
Sabah has consistently exceeded the number of new cases according to daily updates provided by the Ministry of Health, and the state registers 643 cases today, representing 74.3% of the total 865 reported cases.
New infections in the state have hit triple digits for more than 11 days in a row. Overall, the state has registered 8,082 out of the total 21,363 cases in the country.
Noting that experts indicate that there is likely to be a continued increase in the number of cases in Sabah as the virus spreads in the community, Anwar said the country should have the capacity to conduct large-scale testing as a means to identify and isolate infections. before they spread further.
He also said that it was imperative that data on cases, tests and mortality be shared openly with healthcare professionals working in partnership with the government to tackle the pandemic.
“The lack of information prevents experienced professionals across the country from doing what they can to help,” he said.
“A more open data policy will restore public confidence in the government’s handling of the pandemic.”
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