PROBE INTO NURSES’ TREATMENT OF ORANG ASLI
Tok Batin had claimed Bateq people are treated ‘only slightly better than animals’
THE Health Ministry has pledged to look into allegations that its nurses had treated members of the Orang Asli Bateq tribe in Gua Musang, Kelantan, with disdain during their community health visits.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the allegations that the nurses had “heckled” tribe members and “made faces” at them would be fully investigated.
“This is a very serious claim. We want to take responsibility and take it very seriously.
“It (the allegations) must be checked. For now, it is still an allegation that must be looked into,” he said in response to the
New Straits Times front-page report on Thursday.
The NST had quoted Pos Aring 5 Tok Batin Raini Anjang as claiming that the reason why the Bateq people did not trust the authorities was because they were treated “only slightly better than animals”.
Raini had also claimed that nurses from the state Health Department “made faces and heckled” tribe members during their health visits, which led to the Orang Asli distrusting the authorities. This, claimed Raini, led to the low immunisation and vaccination rates among the Bateq.
A number of Orang Asli from the Bateq tribe had died following a measles outbreak in the community.
On why health authorities failed to detect the measles virus when they went to the Kampung Kuala Koh Orang Asli settlement in May for their monthly visit, Dr Dzulkefly said there was no indication of a spike in fever cases.
“We have gone through our records at the Aring Health Clinic and the Kampung Kuala Koh mobile clinic records. There was no spike in outpatient case trends.”
He also confirmed that there were six more measles cases detected, which brings it to 43 confirmed cases out of 113 reported cases involving the Bateq tribe.
He also said there had been no new fatalities and that things were under control.
Dr Dzulkefly said the postmortem on the 12 bodies taken from Kampung Kuala Koh had been completed, and that laboratory results on the samples taken would be known within two to three days.
The Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) denied allegations by the Bateq tribe that the authorities, including the department, had not engaged tribe members adequately and with respect.
Kelantan and Terengganu Jakoa director Hashim Alang Abdul Hamid said the department’s role was to ensure that the Orang Asli were engaged and treated with empathy.
“Our role is to make sure that they are treated with empathy and have access to their rights. No, we will not do such things. We know how sensitive they are.”
On claims that half the village was not vaccinated when it was the department’s duty to ensure the people received it, Hashim said it was not easy dealing with the Bateq community.
“Some have a phobia of needles. We have a number of stragglers who we cannot register for births or identity cards even when we camp out there for one or two days because they are always moving around or are always in the jungle.”
Hashim, however, did not address why the department did not go to the village to check on the sick between June 4 and 8.
The villagers claimed that the department had transported 30 of their sick to health facilities on June 3, but only returned after Hari Raya on June 9 when news of deaths caused by a mysterious disease went viral.
They further claimed that there were 15 to 20 people who displayed symptoms in the village, with some dying as a result.
Hashim declined to comment on the Health Ministry’s alleged attitude towards the community, but maintained that the community was “sensitive”.
He, however, said with the spread of the disease, the village had become ground zero and the Orang Asli were told to seek treatment or call the department if there were any symptoms of the contagious disease.
“We will transport them or place them in our shelter in Gua Musang, even though it is operating beyond capacity now.
“We will also do a post-mortem of the disaster with all agencies, including the Health Ministry when the outbreak is addressed.
“The Department of Environment will also test the water in the area,” he said, referring to earlier claims that the Bateq’s water source was contaminated.
He said that after the outbreak was addressed, Jakoa would work on providing clean water, vaccinations and in the long run, electricity to the community.