KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has come out in defence of its director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah following criticism accusing him of taking a hands-off approach in addressing the Covid-19 outbreak in Sabah.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali in a statement today did not mince his words when he described the criticism as both irresponsible and illogical.
Dr Noor Azmi said he was shocked by the action of certain quarters, be they members of the public or politicians, to dispute Dr Noor Hisham's credibility and sacrifices in efforts to contain the pandemic.
"Dr Noor Hisham is number one person or the leader of the frontliners in the battle against Covid-19.
"He has dedicated most of his life in taking care of the health aspects of the people all the time, even before the pandemic hit the country," said Dr Noor Azmi.
It is understood Dr Noor Azmi was referring to the accusations lobbed by Bintulu member of parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing during a debate on the 2021 Budget at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Tiong, who is the president of Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), which is one of the four political parties in Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), claimed Dr Noor Hisham was not on the ground with other frontliners in Sabah as he "was afraid to die."
Tiong also accused Dr Noor Hisham of promoting himself as the next World Health Organisation secretary-general.
Dr Noor Hisham in an immediate response said as a Muslim, he had accepted the advent of death, other than underscoring the ministry's focus on containing the pandemic.
As of now, Tiong is enduring a tremendous backlash on social media since yesterday, as the public rallied behind Dr Noor Hisham in a show of solidarity.
Stressing on Dr Noor Hisham's commitment, Dr Noor Azmi said they, including Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba would meet daily to discuss on their next course of action in their mission to break the Covid-19 chain of infection.
"We meet as early as 8am until late evening to deliberate, discuss, exchange views and find a solution to efforts to contain the pandemic, which has entered its third wave.
"All parties (in the ministry) have given their full commitment and Dr Noor Hisham as the director-general, he has certainly set the best example for the health community."