Selangor to hold public hearing on dengue

SHAH ALAM: Two Selangor executive councillors are among 20 people to appear before a public hearing on the dengue menace in the state.

Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) chairperson Hannah Yeoh said the hearing’s purpose was to look into Selangor which recorded the highest dengue cases in Malaysia.

“We will also look at the causes of dengue, the implementation of preventative and control activities, expenses, as well as the management in fighting dengue in Selangor,” she told a press conference here Wednesday.

According to statistics from the state Health Department, a total of 63,198 dengue cases were reported last year. The Health Ministry also reported that Selangor recorded 7,335 dengue cases between Jan 1 and Feb 2 this year.

“We want to find out whether sufficient measures had been taken by all state agencies to fight dengue and if the allocations were effectively used.

“We also want to know why only Selangor has such high number of cases,” said Yeoh adding that the hearing would also study if the dengue situation was related to poor waste management as reported in the media.

Health, Welfare, Women and Family Affairs committee chairman Dr Daroyah Alwi and Local Government, New Village Development and Legalising of Factories committee chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah will attend the hearing on Feb 23.

Yeoh said 20 other people would be called in to give their explanation during the one-day hearing.

“All Health directors from local councils and state land offices have been summoned for the hearing.

“We have also invited residents’ associations that are active under the Subang Jaya Municpal Council to give their views,” she said.

She said the committee would discuss the findings from the hearing before tabling a report at the state assembly in March.