SIBU, Jan 9: Sibu Hospital has imposed a number of restrictions with immediate effect for the next two to three weeks following the emergence of Pasai Cluster with 37 new Covid-19 cases.
Speaking at a press conference today, its director Dr Nanthakumar Thirunavukkarasu said they are doing so as they wanted to keep the hospital from having another Covid-19 cluster.
“We have stopped visitors to the hospital. Only a ‘penjaga’ or guardian to look after a sick patient is allowed,” he said.
During this period, the hospital will only tend to semi-emergency and emergency cases as it needed to mobilise all the medical staff which included medical assistants, nurses and specialists to manage Covid patients.
“Please understand us when your appointment has to be rescheduled (by us). We want everybody to work together in combating Covid-19,” he said.
Dr Nanthakumar said leave of all staff of the hospital had been frozen and those who are on leave had been recalled to come back to work.
The hospital had also temporarily stopped nursing students on clinical attachment.
He said they were taken aback by the high number of positive cases from the Pasai Cluster.
“We did not expect 37 positive cases. We were expecting only eight or 10. In order to prevent more cases, the people need to strictly abide by the SOPs and to just stay at home. Don’t go out for unnecessary things,” he advised.
Dr Nanthakumar said if the number of positive cases swelled, they would redirect the patients to hospitals in Sarikei and Kanowit. — DayakDaily
