Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Youth Chief Jamain Sarudin
(pic) has lashed out at the former government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic following calls to re-establish the State’s Health Ministry after it was removed from the Cabinet portfolio.
In a statement, Jamain said the “so-called Sabah Health Ministry” did little to combat the virus’ initial outbreak in February, which, he claimed, was treated as a “tourism issue and not a health issue”.
He said the Health Ministry at the time “only added confusion to the frantic efforts to contain and combat the pandemic,” as it was not one of those disseminating information and giving directions.
Jamain said the main players were the command centre headed by the State Secretary, the federal Medical Services Director and the National Security Council.
“The so-called Sabah Ministry of Health had no role to play. The ministry headed by Datuk Frankie Poon had nothing to do with medicine or health. In fact, public health comes under the Ministry of Local Government.”
Jamain then took aim at former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who he claimed to have “insisted” that Covid-19 patients be allowed to “come out and vote”.
He said during the election “there was silence from the so-called Sabah Minister of Health”.
Jamain urged for an end to calls for a new Health Ministry to be established.
“Let’s drop the political talk and stop pretending that the current wave of the pandemic would be solved if there were a Sabah Ministry of Health.”
“The Warisan government has been misleading the Sabah people for two years that there was a Sabah Ministry of Health.”
