KUCHING, Jan 31: State Reform Party Sarawak (STAR) president Lina Soo urged the Sarawak government to manage the Wuhan coronavirus (nCoV) threat by designating a dedicated medical centre and virus hospital.
Soo said that one best suited for the purpose was the already existing Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital (RCBM) located at 13th Mile Penrissen Road, which was originally a dedicated hospital for the treatment of leprosy (which has now been eradicated).
According to Soo, the hospital was still operational, with a few residents who have been cured of the disease, but who still stay there as they have been isolated from their communities and could not care for themselves, but may be transferred to an alternative government facility for the aged.
“RCBM hospital still stands today with a ward and an outpatient clinic, and it can instantly function as a virus hospital to manage the coronavirus threat.
“RCBM hospital can also be a permanent hospital dedicated to manage any global health threat into the future,” she said.
Soo said that Sarawak had to strengthen its vigilance and disease surveillance as our hospitals were already overcrowded and lacking medical equipment and protective gear.
She was confident that China was able to control the coronavirus outbreak as the Chinese government had moved swiftly to put in control measures that had been far reaching and unprecedented in history.
“The urgency lies in supporting lower income countries which have weak health systems, in a global fight to prevent the virus from reaching their shores and to infect the population.
“With climate change affecting the world’s weather patterns and landscapes, and bio-engineering experimentation, old and new viruses may emerge in the near future, even if we are able to eradicate today’s virus threat,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Soo also urged all Sarawakians to be on the alert, to practice personal hygiene and be vigilant at all times.
“Good health is the first line of defence against any form of virus threat, adds Soo, and Sarawak must never let our guard down against any global health threat,” she said. —DayakDaily.
