By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 26: The federal government has agreed in principle to the Sarawak government’s request to set up a field hospital in Sibu.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the Ministry of Health (MOH) will discuss the matter with the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).
He also revealed 64 medical officers have been mobilised and will be deployed to Sarawak next week.
“At the same time, upon the request of the Sarawak government, we are now looking at how to accelerate the opening of Sri Aman Hospital so that it can take some pressure off from Sarawak General Hospital (SGH),” he said at a press conference after attending a special meeting on immunisation and pandemic management at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today.
He said that he has approved an additional RM3 million for Sarawak to outsource non-Covid-19 procedures.
“Sarawak has spent RM4.6 million out of RM5 million that we have allocated for the expenses associated with delayed surgical procedures and so on. Now we want to send it to the private sector so we have approved another RM3 million for Sarawak,” he elaborated.
Khairy also said among other efforts to increase the medical capacity in Sarawak to respond to possible surges in the number of serious cases, MOH has already prepared 118 ventilators units and 1,008 oxygen cylinders which will be sent by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) and will arrive in the State on Tuesday (Sept 28, 2021).
“We have also supplied 10 modular ICUs (Intensive Care Units) and we will add 20 more beds with 10 of them to be sent to Sibu Hospital. We will leave it to the State government on where they want to put the additional beds.
“Other than that, we will also provide 30 ambulances to Sarawak which we will procure in the near future,” he added.
Also present during the press conference were Deputy Health Minister II, Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang; State Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas; State Local Government and Housing (MLGH) Minister-cum-SDMC advisor Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian; State Utilities Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom; State MLGH Assistant Minister Dr Annuar Rapaee; MOH director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah; MOH secretary-general Dato Mohd Shafiq Abdullah; State Deputy Secretary (Rural Transformation) Datuk Ik Pahon Joyik; and State Health Director Dato Dr Mohamed Sapian Mohamed. — DayakDaily
