Malaysia is a country free from TB (tuberculosis) in the early 90s.
However, in the early year 2000 it started to spread again due to movement of foreign workers from TB high burden countries and the low awareness among Malaysians that the disease is returning.
TB or also known as dry cough is an airborne contagious disease. It can be fatal of left untreated.
- The TB situation in Malaysia is quite alarming as it is the main killer among infectious diseases, in fact it has a higher death rate compared to dengue, malaria and HIV.
Since 2000, death from TB, globally, was 33 million in 2015 alone. TB has caused death to 1.8 million people in the world.
In Malaysia, there were 1945 deaths out of 25,739 TB cases in 2016 compared to 1696 deaths out of 24,220 cases in 2015, which was a 14.75% increase.
- I support the Member of Parliament’s proposal to form a bipartisan Parliamentary TB Caucus consisting of government and oppositions’ Members of Parliament, working mutually with executive parties and health experts, academicians, researchers, various non-governmental associations, the private sector and media to raise public awareness and make efforts to combat this disease in the future.
3. Foreign workers entry into this country is worrying as they could possibly be carrying TB. The issue of foreign workers bringing in contagious diseases is a serious matter for our citizens and must be addressed quickly by all parties.
Approximately 1.95 million foreign workers who entered Malaysia to work had failed the Foreign Workers Medical Screening Monitoring Agency (FOMEMA) health screening between year 2009 until 2014.
- The Health Ministry (KKM) should be responsible to provide medical checkup to foreign workers. Why has KKM failed to monitor the spread of TB? This is the main consideration for Health Minister, Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam.
- Besides TB, several other diseases that could or have been spread by immigrants include flu (A H1N1 or H5N1 Influenza), malaria, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, polio and many more due to infection from bacteria, virus, parasites or other micro-organisms.
Clearly, the unrestraint entry of immigrants will pose problems generally to the country and its citizens. Although we need their foreign labor for the country’s development, it should not be at the expense of citizens and the country.
I urge Dr. Subramaniam to learn from our neighbour, Singapore, who is firm in fighting contagious diseases before accepting immigrant workers.
Dato’ Seri Dr Santhara
National Integration Bureau Chairman
KEADILAN Segamat Parliamentary Coordinator
