Despite all that has been done, to date, 15 people have known to have died in South Korea due to the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS) and the total number of those infected has risen to 145. South Korea, Asia’s fourth biggest economy is grappling to cope with this untimely calamity, just when it is recovering and picking up momentum from an economic slowdown
If a country so advanced and progressive like South Korea is dealing with this catastrophe one step at a time, one can only wonder if Malaysia is ready to battle it out with this elusive disease once it hits our shores.
Yesterday, news of a 76 year old Bruneian woman with MERS-CoV who escaped from the Miri Hospital on Friday had set off alarm bells. She performed her umrah in May and was admitted at the Miri Hospital because Brunei hospitals denied her medical care on 6 June after being suspected to be infected with the deadly MERS-CoV.
Every Malaysian’s nightmare has come true. Knowing there is someone amongst you who could be carrying the virus is unimaginable and yet there has been virtually nothing on the television or the radio to warn the public on the symptoms and the epidemiology of the virus and what to do and where to go for medical advise and help.
Although the Minister of Culture and Tourism Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz on June 10 said that Malaysia is experienced in handling similar outbreaks in the past and that to date, South Korean tourists are still welcome with precautionary health screenings in the airport, the voice of assurance should have come from the Prime Minister as head of state or at least the Minister of Health Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam judging by the urgency, importance and the magnitude of this outbreak.
In fact the MOH website is ill equipped as up to the wee hours of the morning of 15 June, there is still NO official announcement, NO public service announcement as well as NO emergency contact numbers as well as details on the symptoms of the MERS-CoV infections. As a matter of fact, under the “Maklumat Terkini Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)” in the ministry’s website 30 December 2014 was the last update!
A quick comparison with the Singapore MOH website clearly shows in block letters MERS-CoV right on the main page and a health advisory on 9 June with recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on critical health precautions when overseas and upon return from MERS-CoV affected countries, and finally encouraging Singaporeans to refer to the MOH website on MERS-CoV for the latest health advisory. There is also a travel notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore on travelling at a time like this.
Not only is their website up-to-date on the A-Z of this virus, but on June 11 Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital and addressed the media on prepping the team to be ready and not to fumble and then to put a stop to the disease as quickly as possible. He went on to give details such as what should patients do, robust preparations by the hospital and temperature screening that have started at airports from Tuesday.
This to me, and Malaysians alike, this is what it means to be prepared for an emergency which has the potential to trigger a wildfire situation. Not total silence (again) by the Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Razak and also the Minister of Health. The rakyat deserve to know what is happening on the spread of the virus that has claimed 15 lives in South Korea and the Malaysian government has a moral obligation to do its best to keep the public informed with up to date information and precautionary measures that it is taking to curtail the spread of this deadly disease.
I call upon the Ministry of Health to set up an-ad hoc Parliamentary Select Committee on Health to immediately work on educating the public via television, radio and online media as well as blasting through telecommunications media on what MERS-CoV is, what are the symptoms, where to seek treatment and a hotline number for questions by the public on this life-threatening virus, and to update the MOH website immediately on information on the disease and hospitals that have quarantine departments.