Selangor Journal: Selangor to strengthen public health, social support systems to withstand pandemic — MB
SHAH ALAM, Feb 24 — The Selangor government will be focusing on strengthening the public health and social support systems of the state this year, says Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said this is to prepare for the impacts that come along should another outbreak take place in the future.
“Public health is an area that can be strengthened and organised so that when a pandemic occurs, our system can support and withstand the impacts that come from it. This will be our focus for Year 2021,” said Amirudin during a virtual forum titled ‘Post-pandemic economy: Where is the direction?’ yesterday.
Amirudin said that there is currently a lack of experts in the public health departments of local authorities in Selangor.
“Out of all the local authorities in the state I am leading, I regret the fact that we have only about four to five public health departments in the local authorities that are led by qualified officers with backgrounds in medical health education. Even before the pandemic, casualties resulting from dry cough and dengue were already high enough.
“So these are among the basics that I feel we must go back to and be reviewed by the (state) government so that the public health and social systems being formed are able to support the society,” he said.
Amirudin was responding to National Journalism Laureate Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar on the state government’s post-pandemic economic plans on the virtual programme broadcasted on Media Selangor’s Youtube and Amirudin’s Facebook page last night.
Johan, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of Media Selangor, moderated the live forum which also featured prominent economist and former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Professor Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram and former chairman of Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi.
The state administration, through the Belanjawan Selangor 2021 (2021 Selangor Budget), had increased allocation for public health spending by 23 per cent this year with a total of RM56.5 million compared to the previous budget with RM46 million.
