H1N1 in Bintulu- where is the Commander in Chief

I am really disappointed that the director of the Bintulu hospital was not there when I visited him this morning at nine am.

I mean, at a crucial time like this when H1N1 had already spreaded to Bintulu , one would expect that the commander in chief would be around. Yet he is not, but had gone for meeting in Kuching till the second of July, they said.

People in Bintulu want to know what is going on, they need advise and directions at the ground level, on what to do, so that we can work together to minimise the spread of the disease .

When I was at the hospital, I was told that no one can say anything about what is going on with the disease, only the director.

When there is no information, people are kept in the dark. People could be on low alert and may get careless or into a ‘never mind’ attitude. Things could get out of hand that way.

As this matter is not just a medical matter, it is also about the public. The disease is a public matter and that is when the public should be informed and be involved to effectively curb the spread of the disease.

Mind you, there were 80 others in the plane with the 1st patient of Bintulu. Have they all been contacted and what is the situation with them, are they among us?

People need clear directions for those who had been in contact with the patient.

Then again, we also would like to know the readiness of our Hospital if in case, the disease is spread more widely here.

I urge Dr. George Chan to appoint a spoke person for the Bintulu Division here in Bintulu so that the people can get first hand info from him as he would be right here and can see for himself and relate the situation to all of us here.

I would like to call on the people in Bintulu to stay calm and not panic in a time like this and if ever we feel sick with flu like symptoms like fever, sore throat, cough, head ach, body ach, difficulty in breathing, we should go to the Hospital and see the doctors.

We must not be afraid to come out and see the doctors as we cannot afford to take the matter light heartedly. Because by not revealing sickness and not seeking treatment, we may end up getting other people infected, may be those who are close to us or even our loved ones.

Chiew Chin Sing
30.6.2009