KUALA LUMPUR: Responsible actors at all levels of governance must put in place comprehensive and robust strategies, interventions and programmes to effectively mitigate the key environmental health risks in Malaysia.
Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said environmental threats to public health were widespread and increasing as the nation underwent rapid industrial development in this era of globalisation.
He said this called for the government's urgent attention or the country may risk having its current and future populations facing economic, social and health impacts.
He cited as examples deaths brought about by respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer.
"Maintaining a healthy environment, which includes access to clean water, air, hygiene and sanitisation, a stable climate, protection from radiation, safe workplaces and green agricultural practices, is central to increasing the quality of life and lifespan of a healthy life.
"However, experts have noted that patterns of illness have drastically changed over the years and will continue to change. Chemicals and toxicants in the environment are among the factors contributing to life-threatening diseases, made worse by poverty.
"Diseases like the Nipah virus and the Covid-19 pandemic remind us of the delicate relationship between people and the planet," he told the New Straits Times.
Dr Zainal was commenting on the Health Ministry's National Environmental Health Action Plan (Nehap)'s latest publication, Priority List of Environmental Health Issues in Malaysia.
He said the authorities at the federal and state levels, as well as the local authorities, should have the political will to act and focus on ways to tackle the root causes of these issues to benefit the community.
"The government should channel more funds to tackle environmental health threats instead of wasting money and resources on public relations strategies or being cosmetic in nature.
"The local authorities in Malaysia are still not as efficient as their counterparts in developed nations.
"We must have more professional staff with greater involvement in community work.
"Enforcement must be tightened to prevent illegal dumping and ensure that high food safety quality and standards are practised.
"Rat and rodent infestation in certain restaurants are not rare and foreign workers' safety and hygiene are questionable. The authorities cannot ascertain whether the workers have been inoculated against diseases like typhoid.
"Strategies for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases, like dengue, must be implemented."
From Dec 29 last year to Nov 21, the Health Ministry recorded 85,582 dengue cases, including 894 cases in just one week, from Nov 15 to 21.
The ministry also recorded 516 food poisoning cases in schools, institutions and other premises last year, which was an increase of 3.2 per cent compared with 500 cases recorded in 2018.
Dr Zainal said the issues highlighted by the Nehap publication were covered under the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all".
"It is also related to the World Health Organisation's concept of 'Social Determinants of Health', which are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
"They include factors such as socio-economic status, education, neighbourhood and physical environment, employment and social support networks, as well as access to healthcare."