SHAH ALAM, 26 Feb: The statement by the Minister of Health, Datuk Seri S.Subramaniam, that the State Government has failed to tackle dengue cases in Selangor, shows that he is actually a minister with ‘mulut celupar’ (meaning to issue flippant remarks without thinking).
The Executive Councillor in charge of Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim, said that as a minister, Subramaniam should not arbitrarily make accusations.
He said that the ministry itself has acted insensitively and has not updates the actual figures of dengue cases recorded, only that it has reached alarming levels.
“The ministry only informed us that there were nearly 1,200 cases in October last year. Why did they not inform us earlier?
“However, after being informed, the State Government took action in addressing dengue cases in Selangor,” he said in a press conference yesterday.
Recently, Subramaniam claimed that the State Government, through Local Authorities, failed to eradicate dengue cases in Selangor that it has spread quickly.
Subramaniam also claimed that the State Government failed to cooperate by attending meetings to discuss dengue cases and only sent low-ranking officers who have no decision-making powers.
“When were we called (by the ministry)? I, and every other district head, never received any letter to discuss this situation.
“So do not blame the State Government,” he said.
Elaborating, Chang Khim said that since being informed in October last year, he has regularly held meetings with every local authority on a weekly basis to update the actual number of dengue cases.
“We also held campaigns and Aedes eradication programmes at each local authority and schools to address the dengue cases and prevent it from rising.
“Selangor has 5.6 million residents and this is one of the reasons why Selangor recorded the highest number of dengue cases in the country,” he said, quoted from Sinar Harian.
As of February 2014, Selangor recorded 11 deaths due to dengue, while the Petaling district recorded the highest number in dengue cases at 8,936 cases.
