An incident that happened in Pantai Hospital Laguna Merbok where a pregnant woman hid the fact that she was living with an infected patient sparked the anger of all Malaysians as the hospital has to close down for cleaning and disinfecting for March 22 to March 23.
It was reported in The Star that the woman was tested positive for COVID-19 after she delivered her baby.
"All staff who had been in contact with the patient have been identified, placed under quarantine and tested negative for Covid-19," the hospital clarified.
It is extremely irresponsible and selfish for a person to hide information, especially during this critical time being. It has been confirmed that it's an offense for a person to not disclose information about being in touch with COVID-19 patients.
According to The Star, people who believe that they are infected by contagious disease MUST NOT endanger others by their presence or act in any public place, according to Section 12 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (PCID) Act 1988.
Salim Bashir, the Malaysian Bar president, was concerned about the cases of Malaysians hiding information, especially when the information is related to COVID-19 from medical staff.
“Everyone who had possible contact and exposure (to Covid-19 patients) must relate the truth to healthcare staff beforehand, and not wait until clinical procedures are completed – which by then would have had the safety of hospital staff and facilities compromised. Members of the public must be truthful in disclosing their travel history and close contacts with Covid-19 outbreaks, ” he explained to The Star.
It is really important for people to understand that, under Section 22(d) of the PCID Act, people who failed to provide truthful information related to the ACT will face a penalty.
As of the penalty, the offender could be imprisoned for up to 2 years or fined or both.
Repeat offense could be imprisoned for up to 5 years or fined or both.
While offenders who keep on repeating the same offense will be facing a fine up to RM200 each day during which the offense continues.
Malaysian Medical Association president Dr. N. Ganabaskaran mentioned that, “especially during this time, providing information such as travel history and close contacts will be extremely important in ensuring the right measures are taken in infectious disease control."
He added that all medical staff, too, have to be alert about their whereabouts and people that they came into contact with to make sure that the highest standards of infectious disease control are maintained.
He urged that if you have been in contact with infected patients, you should not wait for the symptoms to show as better results could be achieved if they respond with urgency, hence, you should get tested immediately or call the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre hotline at 03-8881 0200,03-8881 0600 or 03-8881 0700.
