International media channel Al Jazeera recently came out with a documentary alleging that Malaysia had discriminated against migrants when it came to dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak here.

Several groups had also previously raised concerns on the treatment of migrants but the Health Ministry has maintained that they have been fair to all.

Pertaining to the most recent allegation by Al Jazeera, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said that it was not true.

“The Al Jazeera report which mentioned the occurrence of discrimination was incorrect. As the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 was to combat COVID-19 for all."

“So we need to ensure all who are detected need to be screened and isolated,” he said as reported by Bernama.

Clarifying the matter

On if the Government planned to take action against the news channel, Dr Adham said that the erroneous information would be corrected.

“We need to correct it through our spokesman, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri who is the government spokesman heading the ministerial meeting on COVID-19,” he said.

The almost 30 minute documentary called "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown" was posted on Al-Jazeera's YouTube page on 3 July and has gained more than 200,000 views so far.

Health Ministry Denies Racism Allegations Against Migrants When Dealing With COVID-19 Pandemic

Clarifying the matter