‘Tone deaf’ - Rajiv slams KJ over Covid-19 restrictions warning

 

Selangor’s Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran has lambasted the federal government for being tone-deaf towards people’s anxiety.

This came after Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin recently warned movement restrictions may be reimposed as a result of a spike in Covid-19 cases.

“How long are we going to go on a loop? Equipment, medicine, medical personnel and volunteers should be on standby to ensure we can set up enough makeshift hospitals on short notice to take in cases that require hospitalisation in case of a sudden surge of cases.

“It is baffling to me that even now the Health Ministry does not realise that restriction of social activities means a curb on economic activities.

“The people and small businesses are finally climbing out of the hole after the various prolonged movement control order in different names.

“The government is tone-deaf to the anxiety of the people arising from wishy-washy statements like this when clear solutions are available,” the DAP lawmaker said in a statement today.

Rajiv said the Health Ministry needs to be prepared to increase hospital capacity if cases spike up and not restrict social activities due to the economic cost.

He contended that the economic cost of increasing hospital capacity will be far lower than the harm from curbing economic activities.

In addition, Rajiv called on the Health Ministry to allow all existing general practitioners to administer Covid-19 vaccine booster shots so accessibility to the shots can be widened and sped up.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin

He expressed hope that private hospitals would be allowed to administer the booster shots as well to those who are willing to pay, noting that this could save cost as the government could focus on one segment of the population.

“Simple public health services like this should be made accessible as soon as possible to ensure that we can reduce hospitalisation.

“Until now it is impossible to walk into a health clinic to get a PCR test. You would think that after 21 months, a simple service such as testing will be available to anyone who would want to get tested, but to date, you can only do that in private facilities,” Rajiv added.

The government, he said, needs to ramp up medical preparedness in order to avoid any version of lockdown or economic curbs again, thus increasing investors’ confidence.

Khairy has said on Sunday that a Covid-19 heightened alert system will be announced soon and that his ministry proposed that some sectors be tightened if there is an increase in cases, although he promised there will not be a ‘total lockdown’. - Mkini