KUALA LUMPUR: Demanding transparency, the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) insisted that the Health Ministry (MOH) revisit its White Paper and disclose accurate statistics involving vaccines.
Chief Activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said the current White Paper does not address ways to control transborder infectious disease while preventing the public from questioning the government's mechanism in handling the pandemic.
"Numerous cases have indicated the alleged side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine.
"It is time for MoH to be more transparent by disclosing the actual figures and facts related to those experiencing these side effects," he said during a press conference today.
Nadzim also called upon the government to be transparent about procuring the Covid-19 vaccine and Paxlovid.
"This is a matter of lives; reveal the details, and do not let that be another corruption fraud like the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal," he said.
In this regard, PPIM and several paramedic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) alliances urged MoH to formulate a national health policy focused on more effective disease control.
"A preventive strategy, rather than treatment, should have been the primary focus of the National Health Policy. The government must be more pragmatic in reshaping the National Health Policy," he said.
Commenting on another issue, Nadzim said the announcement by the newly appointed Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, urging the public to receive booster shots and maintain mask-wearing practices, has caused widespread anxiety.
"We have been through the crucial period, and at a stage where we are now living with the virus, treating that as a flu.
"The unexpected proposal from the Health Minister has needlessly stirred anxiety among the public," he said.
Also present, Dr Kenny Yong Yean Sirn raised concerns about the potential overdose of antibodies.
"The ministry should be conducting a comprehensive study on the issue, especially on what are the side effects for those with comorbidities and cancer patients," he said.
Medical consultant Dr Mustafa Ali Mohd said the ministry should consider getting input from other medical experts aside from just blindly following whatever the World Health Organisation (WHO) advises.
"All we want is just the nation to be built with strength and endure this adversity with a strategic mechanism," he said.