CORONAVIRUS | New Health Minister Dr Adham Baba is facing the heat after spreading misinformation by suggesting that drinking warm water would prevent Covid-19 infection.
Twitterjaya reacted almost immediately after the segment of the interview was aired on TV1 yesterday evening, with some calling for his ouster or for him to be disallowed from giving public statements.
Former Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan called for the return of Adham’s predecessor, Dzulkefly Ahmad (below), who was largely praised for his handling of the medical crisis prior to the sudden collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in February.
“It’s not even funny. We should just get Dr Dzul (Dzulkefly) back to do national service. We are facing a crisis and this is an obvious solution. This government should forget the politics and put us in safe hands please!” she tweeted.
It’s not even funny. We should just get @DrDzul back to do national service. We are facing a crisis and this is an obvious solution. This government should forget the politics and put us in safe hands please! twitter.com/hannahyeoh/sta…
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The social media posting was made in response to a tweet by former Harapan deputy minister Hannah Yeoh.
“@KKMPutrajaya (Health Ministry) shouldn't be made to fight fire during this critical time as a result of health minister's lack of good sense. I hope TV stations stop inviting him to give his opinion.
“Malaysians don't need more confusion now,” read the Segambut lawmaker’s tweet.
Local comedian and medical doctor Jason Leong deemed the minister a “buffoon”.
Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Isis) Malaysia analyst Harris Zainul, meanwhile, called on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (photo) to replace his new minister for “spreading false information”.
“This guy has to go for spreading false information, Muhyiddin Yassin. He is not fit to even be a spokesperson, what more a Minister. #AdhamByeBye.”
In a harsh tweet, one social media user Noraishah Mydin Abd Aziz said Adham was “not worth 29 nurses”.
She tweeted: “No, Adham Baba is definitely not worth 29 nurses. Rather have one nurse than 29 Adham Baba.”
During the interview on RTM’s Bicara Naratif programme, Adham said the virus behind the Covid-19 outbreak “doesn’t like high temperatures” and advocated drinking warm water as means of prevention.
“This virus doesn’t like high temperatures...
“The virus will be eliminated, eliminated, and end up in the stomach. If it ends up in the stomach, there is acid and they lose.
“The important thing is to eliminate the virus from the throat before it enters the lungs because it loves the lower respiratory tract,” he said.
Such advice had already been debunked by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The minister’s advice was also debunked by Malaysian surgeon Dr Amalina Bakri, who said such claims were not “evidence-based”.
The claim also received ridicule abroad, with Singapore site Mothership posting that: “The whole of China should have just resorted to drinking warm water and then none of this would have happened.”
- Mkini
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