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PUTRAJAYA – It is important that amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) be approved as soon as possible, to ensure continuity in enforcement and to increase the act’s effectiveness in curbing the spread of Covid-19.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Health Ministry (MoH) was worried that a prolonged debate in Parliament might disrupt the ministry’s ongoing efforts in enforcing infectious disease control in the country.
“In 1988, when this act was enacted, we did not take pandemics into account, but were more focused on epidemic outbreaks. It is now time for us to review it. What is more important is that it is a deterrent.
“If we implement the act of 1988, the maximum compound of RM1,000 will not be a deterrent to a multi-million company, for example. They have no issue with paying it.
“I think there is no one-size-fits-all fine, so we have divided it into (fines for) individuals and corporations,” he said in a media briefing session on the proposed amendment bill here yesterday.
Under the amendment to Section 25 of Act 342, MoH proposes that the value of the compound be increased from RM1,000 to RM1 million for a corporate body, while for individual offences, a fine of up to RM10,000 could be imposed, compared to the current maximum of RM1,000.
Meanwhile, according to Health Ministry Disease Control Division director Datuk Dr Norhayati Rusli, five amendments and five new provisions have been proposed by the ministry to improve Act 342.
She said the proposal involved Part I, Part IV, Part V, and Part VI of the act, which include amendments to the interpretation of authorised officers, as well as offences and penalties.
Providing an example of the amendment under Section 10, Dr Norhayati said that the amendment would enable medical practitioners to notify of the existence of any infectious disease in any premises, even without confirming diagnoses through laboratory tests.
“It is recommended that every medical practitioner who treats, or discovers, or has reason to believe or suspect the existence of any infectious disease in any premises, shall give notice of the existence of the infectious disease to the nearest health officer, as far as possible without delay, in any form determined by the director-general,” she said.
The amendment to Section 25, namely for the compounding of offences, she said, would empower officers from statutory bodies or local authorities to issue compounds for offences committed.
According to Dr Norhayati, a new provision in Section 14A empowers an officer to order any individual infected with an infectious disease to undergo quarantine.
“The proposed new provision in Section 15A, meanwhile, enables the use of the latest technology to control the movement of infected or suspected infected persons who are ordered to undergo isolation or quarantine,” she said.
Earlier yesterday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali had tabled the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill 2021 for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim later said in a statement posted on his Facebook that opposition MPs would not support the bill after disagreeing with the proposed amounts for the compounds. – Bernama, December 15, 2021
