What we need to do in public health
What we need to do in public health
Need to move away from Covid-centric focus
With a surge of Covid-19 spreading rapidly across China, after the ‘zero covid policy’ was abandoned, the newly appointed minister of health Dr Zaliha Mustafa, herself a medical practitioner, advocated as many people as possible go and get a Covid-19 booster immediately.
Ministry of health director general, Dr Noor Hisham announced to the press that 96.5 percent of 298 wastewater samples taken at airports, over the last six months, were found to be contaminated with Covid-19. This means the majority of people entering into Malaysia by air were carriers of, or exposed to Covid-19.
Nevertheless, Dr Zaliha ordered a stepping up of Covid-19 SOPs, where people coming into Malaysia would need to show they were Covid free, in attempts to stem the spread of the BA5.2 and BF7 variants, now circulating in China.
There are already 4,148 cases infected with BA5.3 and three cases of BF.7 in Malaysia, as of 31st December. This can be expected to exponentially rise in the near future.
Dr Zaliha handled her first emergency as most other health ministers around the world have handled it. However, emerging research is showing the risk/benefit ratios of vaccines are now vastly different from 2021, and airport screening will do very little or nothing to stem the flow of the new Chinese variants coming into the country. They are already here.
The hope for Malaysia is that in China, the draconian lockdowns prevented citizens developing immunity, hence the rapid increase in cases once lockdowns were dispensed with. Levels of immunity are much higher in Malaysia due to previous outbreaks, and high levels of vaccination, which should protect the local population from a similar outbreak like China is currently experiencing.
This outbreak in China should not distract the new minister away from other potential crises facing the Malaysian health system. Much needed focus and resources are required in other areas.
Need to move away from Covid-centric focus
Covid-19 is not the only infectious disease epidemic Malaysia is facing now. Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are also spreading around the community, which can have dire effects upon the young and vulnerable. Dengue Fever is expected to be at epidemic levels over the next three years, potentially fatal to the vulnerable.
This is not to mention the traditional causes of death, including Ischaemic heart disease, Pneumonia, Cerebrovascular diseases, road accidents, Diabetes, Malignant neoplasm of the respiratory system, Hypertensive diseases, Chronic lower respiratory diseases, and Malignant neoplasm of the colon, rectum, and anus. These disorders are killing many more people than what Covid is expected to kill over the next year.
Brain Drain
Medical brain drain of doctors and other specialised personnel is a symptom of the contract system. Doctors are given contracts which delay any permanent appointment to a hospital. This takes away any career path certainty, a dual salary and benefits system prejudiced against contract doctors, double standards by administrators, and overwork in a poor institutional environment.
This is pushing doctors and other medical specialists to nearby Singapore, Australian, and the UK. This continued brain drain could potentially cripple the public health system with shortages of competent medical personnel.
Lack of focus upon mental health
The public health system is orientated towards treating physical ailments, where mental health is grossly underfunded. Suicides have dramatically risen over the last three years, with a chronic shortage of psychiatrists, Psychologists, and counsellors. There are often long waiting periods for the few who are available. Issues of stress, depression, and various forms neurosis are overlooked within an overworked public health system.
A need for programs to encourage general health wellbeing
Preventative health is almost totally ignored. There are no coordinated educational programs to assist the community avoid poor health. The social and environmental factors can lead of heart issues, obesity, and diabetes, are not being tackled leading to a society with poor general health. Programs concerned with diet, nutrition, and exercise could lead to a much healthier society with better community immunity to many general diseases.
Equipment and Infrastructure
Spending on public health must be increased immediately, rather than just planned. Lack of equipment and infrastructure is leading to overcrowded emergency and trauma facilities, wards, and outpatient facilities. Plans for new hospital expansion is far behind rapid urbanization. Hospitals in most towns and cities are too small for demand, which is increasing due to an aging population.
This issue has been mentioned by the Auditor General in a number of annual reports. The recent Covid pandemic highlighted the lack of hospital capacity, particularly with infectious diseases. This should be the most important lesson from the pandemic.
There needs to be a rapid upgrading in diagnostic equipment, training and expertise. Public dental facilities are not adequate and out of the reach of many in remote locations.
Universal insurance
Public health is currently free for all citizens. However, there needs to be some form of universal insurance scheme, perhaps based upon tax to fund the public health system in the future. This can be used for specified services that hospitals can fund on a fee basis. This issue will need to be considered in the long-term to assist the growth, standards, and expansion of the public health service.
Medical costs will become the most expensive household item in the near future.
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice, like all other countries is a major issue of concern. Much medical malpractice goes totally unreported, where remedies to patients’ injuries go unrecorded. According to the ministry of health’s official, medical malpractice has risen dramatically over the last few years. Cases involving wrongful surgery, unintended retention of foreign objects and falls while in hospital reached nearly 10,000 cases in 2020.
Patients most often suffer in silence, where the ministry of health, Malaysia Medical Council (MMC) are not complaint friendly. Taking these cases to court is very expensive, where many lawyers won’t take on such cases, as success rates are very low.
There is a massive challenge ahead for the new minister. Let’s hope screening for Covid-19 at airports, and placing sanitary napkins in ministry toilets doesn’t take away from the other jobs that need to be done to make the public health system what it should be for Malaysians.
Originally published in My Sin Chew 3rd January 2023
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Before releasing the data on the Covid 19 pandemic casualty in the country. First thing first, MOH definition of a “vaccine”.
It is an experimental concoction of a cocktail of toxins, polyethylene Glycol, ALC0315, ALC 0159, aborted fetus cells, graphene oxide.
How does this toxin work, separately, and in combination with other toxin? Long term effects and short term effects. Nano particles etc.
What is this experimental jab suppose to function and prevention of Covid-19 infection? If there is no assurance of its efficaciousness to protected the
Vaccinated from the suppliers. Why use this emergency pandemic jab in the name of health and public safety on the masses as a group guinea pig?
If the jab does not prevent or heal the infected victims, why use it in the first place? Why does the MOH has great faith in an unknown jab which has no safety
Data and rush job to calm the fear generated by Pharmaceutical control media to spread fear about the fatality of the virus, when the actual death is less than a common cold or flu? Why is the government so concerned about the health of the population all of a sudden, when the number of death due to road accidents, cancers and heart diseases have not provoked the government to take any drastic measure to reduce its fatalities all these years? Why is the MOH only concerns about the vaccination narrative dictates by WHO which is financed by Bill Gates foundation up to $4.3 bil? What is CDC but a mouth piece of the same Bill Gates foundation which donated $ 155 million? What is John Hopkins university which provides data, statistics on public health concern, but a resource centre of its funder of $ 870 mil to obey its instruction? What about GAVI, the vaccination alliance, global health partnership with the goal of increasing immunization in poor country? Again, the tentacle of the same money man has a $ 3 billion interest there? In view of all these money trails on organizations having anything to do with public health, there is no ground for science to work? Is there so difficult to see why, MOH refuses and opposes the use of Ivermectin to prevent and treat covid 19 victims? Is there no link ,why the data on covid-19 death must climb, to justify the use of mandatory jab? More jab, more money for vaccine makers.
In conclusion, there is no science behind the vaccination, no fairness in the data or statistics collected to justify the use of ” vaccination” or experimental jab.There is a lot of money to be made from a plandemic