DAP man slams ‘incompetent’ Perak health exco as cases surge in state

 

The intensive care units (ICU) in Perak hospitals have been operating beyond maximum capacity over the past month, says DAP’s Howard Lee. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Perak health exco Mohd Akmal Kamarudin’s competence was called into question today by a DAP representative following the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases reported daily in the state.

In a Twitter thread, Pasir Pinji assemblyman Howard Lee said that with cases failing to subside, it is alarming that more has not been done to curb infections in the state.

“For the past month, intensive care units (ICU) in Perak hospitals have been operating beyond maximum capacity.

“According to data available in the public domain, as of Aug 12, ICU beds occupancy was at 120%. This was the worst in the country at that particular point in time,” he said.

He also cited the poor state of the Covid-19 assessment centre (CAC) at the Perak Sports Complex in Ipoh and the state’s “tepid” vaccination rate as other examples showing Akmal’s lack of competence.

“With Perak’s increasing rate of infection, reporting more than 1,000 new cases a day, it is alarming that the state health department is given insufficient support when it comes to ICU beds.

“What is the health exco doing, or what has he done to expedite the expansion of the CAC to meet the skyrocketing demand? How many vaccination centres, static or mobile, has he established in conjunction with state assemblymen, the government and the opposition?”

Lee also questioned the lack of large-scale vaccination drives in the industrial sector and Akmal’s lack of action to solve issues related to vaccination centres and MySejahtera registration.

“It is abundantly clear, based on last month’s data, that he is not only sleeping on the job, but he has also proven that he is incapable and incompetent in dealing with the monumental task at hand,” he said.

“The healthcare frontliners in Perak are doing their utmost and are already at their breaking point. Every single nut and bolt of the healthcare machinery in the state is doing everything that it can to fight this seemingly unending war.”

Lee added that as the exco man in charge of the state health portfolio, Akmal should allocate and provide resources for the healthcare system to do their job.

“Yet, the person given the mandate to represent the state government in leading the charge is missing in action,” he said, adding that the healthcare services in the state deserve better. - FMT