Tourists, Malaysians returning to Malaysia could also be the reason for certain diseases returning to Malaysia - not migrant workers

Malaysian government takes easy way out in blaming migrants for diseases - but these 

For migrant workers to enter Malaysia for work, one of the precondition is that they have undergone medical screening in their country of origin, and only health migrants are granted permission to enter Malaysia to work. The responsibility to ensure this must necessarily be with the Employer of migrant workers. 

He[Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam] said that even with the pre-arrival medical examination for foreign workers, the ministry still found that about 3% failed to clear the check-up.Most of the rejected workers were from Indonesia, followed by Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

If healthy migrants, after their entry into Malaysia, are found to be with contagious diseases, then the reason for this must be Malaysia. It could have been because the employer of migrant workers failed to provide healthy living and working conditions. In fact, employers must be penalized for causing their workers to get TB, malaria and other serious contagious disease, which in the case of migrant workers must be classified as occupational disease, for which migrant workers must be entitled to claim necessary compensation, treatment and ...If you are 'forced' to stay in crowded quarters in Malaysia with someone with TB, then there is chance that you too may get TB. Malaysia needs laws stipulating the standard of housing of migrant workers where it the employer(or some agent of the employer) that provides this accommodation. There must be limits as to how many migrant worker/worker can be made to stay in a room, or a 2 bed-room apartment/house/flat.

Now, if the failure is on the part of 'medical screening' that happens in the country of origin, then the Malaysian government must take action against such 'medical screening facilities' and/or doctors/personnel - they must be penalised or even 'blacklisted'. A positive step would be for Malaysian government to issue an approved list medical screening facilities in the country of origin.

Tourist coming to Malaysia, and Malaysians who travel overseas as tourists, students and for work, returning to Malaysia is also likely persons who bring such diseases to Malaysia. Maybe, medical certificates maybe a requirement for persons coming to Malaysia as tourist, or returning back to Malaysia after spending maybe more than 30-60 days overseas. For Malaysians, this may be a problem, because it may be wrong to restrict Malaysians with TB. Malaria or some other contagious disease from traveling from or back to Malaysia - but we have to think how we can reduce the bringing in of such disease back to Malaysia?

Undocumented migrants is also another possibility - and here Malaysia's policy is currently to make it impossible for such migrants to even have access to healthcare. Going to hospital/clinic requires a valid passport and a valid permit/visa. Malaysia needs to change such 'stringent policy and laws' for the good of all persons in Malaysia making it easier for everyone to have access to hospitals/clinics, etc - To be able to detect and cure as fast as possible would be best for the general well-being and health of all in Malaysia.

Malaysian public hospitals/clinics now charge foreigners RM60 registration(which is more that 2 days minimum wage) and first class rates if they want to access/use healthcare facilities. Well, these kind of rates would even deter ordinary Malaysians - what more foreigners. The sick or the suspected sick would just not go to medical facilities hence again increasing the risk of spread of transmittable or contagious disease to the entire Malaysian community. This policy also needs to be reviewed, and changed.

The Malaysian government really must not just come out and make 'baseless' statements. There is a need for serious investigation to determine the source of the disease, say TB that a migrant worker who came to Malaysia on a clean bill of health is now suffering after, say 1 or 2 years of employment. Where did he get it from? Likewise, such investigation must also be done with Malaysians to find the source of the illness. From such investigations, we would be able to come to some conclusions or 'most probability assertions'.

As I mentioned earlier, the blame lies with Malaysia - the Malaysian government. It is wrong to just point fingers of blame on migrant workers when the sources of these diseases can be so many other things. Take denggi for instance, once a victim has been identified, you find the health ministry coming and fogging and trying to kill/destroy breeding places of mosquitoes. The government needs to be pro-active not reactive. What happened to recent 'flash flood' arising by release of water in a dam that resulted in loss of live and property is but another example of a 'reaction' mentality. 

With regard to undocumented migrants, which Malaysia calls 'illegal immigrants', the biggest source is really Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and the Philippines, all ASEAN nations - and as such Malaysia must be active in campaigning and implementing the end of such disease in the ASEAN.  

Subramaniam[Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam] said 6% of workers registered under the programme [the 6P Programme to legalise illegal foreign workers] could not work here as they were found to have transmittable diseases.

Influx of immigrants must be controlled to curb diseases, says deputy Minister

  
A detained suspected illegal migrant worker from Indonesia sits in an immigration truck during a crackdown on illegal migrant workers in Klang, outside Kuala Lumpur September 1, 2013. — Reuters picKOTA 

KINABALU, Nov 13 — The authorities must control the influx of illegal immigrants (PATI) due to the recorded increase in diseases which are highly contagious brought in by this group into the country.

Deputy Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis (TB) now showed a significant increase and were feared to be transmitted to the local people if left unchecked.

“What is worrying is, for example, when screening is conducted on foreign workers, say about 30,000 illegal immigrants and only one-third pass the test then the rest must be sent back. But we do not know their position that most of them have infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.

“In this regard, the security must address the matter to ensure that illegal immigrants who carry these diseases must leave the country,” he told reporters after officiating at the 8th Sabah Public Health Colloquium 2013 and 1st Regional Public Health Conference here, today.

Dr Hilmi said that in some cases, the government had to accept the arrival of immigrants, especially during emergencies such as childbirth other than bear the medical subsidy for those working in the country.

Previously, Bernama reported Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam  as saying that the influx of foreign workers was among the causes of tuberculosis in the country.

“Fifty-eight cases were recorded for a population of 100,000 in 1995 and 63 cases for the same population in 2008 that is 16,000 cases per year. It rose to 18,000 cases in 2010.

“In 2011, a total of 20,000 cases was reported and had resulted in 1,600 deaths,” said Dr Subramaniam.

A total of 360 participants attended the two-day colloquium and conference, organised by the State Health Department in collaboration with the Penampang Health Office, which ends tomorrow. — Bernama

LEPROSY making a comeback due to "foreign workers" - Subramaniam

KUALA LUMPUR - Despite being eradicated some time ago, leprosy has apparently resurfaced due to its "import" by foreign workers, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said today.

He said the re-emergence of leprosy was a fact that had to be dealt with.

"We had gotten rid of leprosy but now it has returned. I think it is purely (imported)," he said, adding that employers had to be careful and not hire illegal workers to ensure that the disease is kept at bay.

He said the increase of diseases like tuberculosis, hepatitis B, syphilis, HIV and malaria was also due to foreign workers, and further revealed that the number of foreign workers increased from 935,043 in 2011 to 1,361,229 in 2012, partly due to the 6P Programme to legalise illegal foreign workers.

Subramaniam said 6% of workers registered under the programme could not work here as they were found to have transmittable diseases.

He said that even with the pre-arrival medical examination for foreign workers, the ministry still found that about 3% failed to clear the check-up.

Most of the rejected workers were from Indonesia, followed by Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. - Malaysia Chronicle, 28/10/2013, LEPROSY making a comeback due to "foreign workers" - Subramaniam