Too many political distractions led to Covid-19 third wave?

 

Former health minister says the previous lockdowns provided a short respite which was not used well.

PETALING JAYA: Former health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad says the government had failed to utilise the opportunity to restrengthen the public health system before entering the third wave of Covid-19 infections in the country because there were too many political distractions.

“The previous lockdowns had provided us with a short respite but the government did not utilise it well. They were too busy with politics instead,” he said in a live discussion with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former deputy prime minister Wan Azizah Ismail.

Dzulkefly also noted that the state elections in Sabah was the major triggering factor of the third wave.

The government let their guard down and decided to celebrate the success prematurely. “Because of that, we are now back to lockdown measures,” he said.

Dzulkefly Ahmad.

He reminded the government not to impose movement control orders without considering its impact on the country. “MCOs or lockdowns must be viewed as a last resort in public health intervention, especially when the economy and livelihoods were just about to be rebooted,” he said.

He had criticised the announcement by health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah that the current MCO may not be extended beyond the tentative Feb 4 end date, saying it had caused confusion among the public.

“When they decided to implement MCO, what is the science behind it? What are the measurement, data, indices and matrices they used to implement the MCO?” he said.

“If MCO will not be extended after Feb 4, then the state of emergency should not be needed as well,” he added.

Dzulkefly also criticised the flip-flopping in making decisions as well as contradicting protocols and procedures, saying it has caused confusion among the public.

He reminded the health ministry to utilise its resources well and learn to adapt and remain agile in battling the pandemic.

“The health ministry should leverage automation and technology to speed up contact tracing, multiplying the numbers of frontliners doing contact tracing, case investigation, community testing and managing quarantine,” he said. - FMT