Hybrid hospital for Kapit to deal with surge in covid 19 cases

suppadmin | May 5, 2021

Local government and Housing Minister, Dato’ Sri Dr. Sim Kui Hian assured that Sarawak will continue to work closely with Malaysia Health Ministry and Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) for the setting up of hybrid field hospital in Kapit in view of surge in number of COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday Kapit recorded 81 cases. Last year, Kapit District enjoyed a full year of green zone.

Dr Sim said the Kapit hybrid hospital will be ready next few days. “It will greatly help Kapit Hospital not just facilities but also manpower. One of the challenges of COVID19 is to anticipate and set up field hospitals fast where the cases are, to support the local health care facilities.” he said.

For Kuching, he lamented that if the PH Federal Governmentdid not cancel the Petra Jaya Hospital in 2018, the hospital would be ready by now and will provide another 300 beds plus all the support facilities. Since termination in 2018, after open tenders 3 times, Petra Jaya hospital will cost more than RM$600 million (original was $400 million).

Health Minister, Dr. Adhma Baba said two days ago that the Health Ministry is in talks with the Defence Minister on the setting up of field hospitals in Sarawak and Kelantan.

As Sarawak has one of the top positive cases in the nation, he said there is a need to do so to accommodate the non-covid 19 related cases so that the burden of the hospital dealing with covid 19 patients will be greatly reduced.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sim urged Muslim celebrating the Hari Raya to comply with SOP. He said he wanted all of them to have a safe celebration and they are only allowed to have close family members subjected to SOPs as listed by Majlis Islam Sarawak.