KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today that death is inevitable, in response to Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing’s accusation of the former "fearing death” for not being on the front lines of the Covid-19 fight.

In his press conference today, Dr Noor Hisham waved off Tiong's remark, saying he has accepted the fact that death does not discriminate.

"There is no issue of us being afraid to die. Muslims accept that death can happen whenever and wherever, it is not a matter of going down to the field or not,” he told the press.

He also added that he had visited Sabah hospitals back in August to check on the state’s preparation for an election amid the pandemic.

"I have myself visited Sabah at the end of August to see the management and preparation for Sabah state election and I have instructed my deputies to visit Sabah last week and see the issues they are facing.”

"So there is no issue of being afraid of death,” he said.

Earlier today in Parliament, Tiong, while debating the Budget 2021 Bill, claimed that Dr Noor Hisham hardly visited his constituency during the Covid-19 period. He then wondered aloud if the latter feared death and if that was the reason for his absence.

Inferring that perhaps this is a sign of weakness at the Health Ministry, Tiong, who is also PDP president, asked if Dr Noor Hisham’s task was merely to read the news on a daily basis.

He also asked why the D-G has yet to meet frontliners in Sabah despite it being a Covid-19 hotspot.

DAP’s Jelutong MP RSN Rayer came to the defence of Dr Noor Hisham, resulting in the former being booted out of the Dewan Rakyat after refusing to take his seat as ordered by Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.