Activist Asks Why Crucial Info Missing From Moh Releases

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Details such as the age and medical history of persons who have died from Covid-19 can help in the formulation of effective disease management strategies and policies, says Azrul Mohd Khalib.PETALING JAYA: An activist has urged the health ministry to publish details such as the age and the prior medical condition of persons who have died of Covid-19.
Azrul Mohd Khalib, chief executive officer of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, told FMT he found it puzzling that the ministry had chosen to omit crucial pieces of information from press statements published on its website.
Before this, he said, the ministry had been “very open” with information regarding Covid-19.
“This decision to exclude the age and the illnesses is surprising and diminishes our understanding of the Covid-19 epidemic, especially when it is clear that more young people are falling seriously ill,” he said.
Azrul Mohd Khalib.He said this could deter the formulation of effective disease management strategies and policies.
Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said information on whether fatalities were occurring among the elderly or among those with underlying diseases was important.
“We can understand the virus better and also track whether the virus is getting more deadly or not,” he said.
Information on deaths are provided by the ministry in a table with details such as the number of deaths per state. This is further divided by gender and nationality.
A typical table put up daily by the health ministry.Other information included are the place of death and a round-up of the number of cases with a history of chronic illness, divided by state.
Dr Lee Boon Chye.The specific details of chronic illnesses and the ages of the dead are not stated, but these were included in previous statements issued by the ministry.
Yesterday, the health ministry reported a record high 13,215 Covid-19 cases and 110 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there were 6,095 recoveries, bringing the total number of those discharged to 765,800. - FMT

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