Blaze at Hospital Bahagia might not be due to short-circuit - Minister

The blaze at the roof of the men's ward in Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Tanjung Rambutan yesterday might not be related to electrical short-circuit.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said, however, the ministry was waiting for the investigation report for a concrete finding.

"They are investigating the cause, so it might not be related to anything electric (short-circuit). So, we have to wait for the result," he told a press conference at the opening ceremony of the Angiography Unit and Angio-CT Hibrid machine at the Selayang Hospital here today.

Yesterday, Perak Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Yahaya Madis said investigations were expected to be completed within three days.

The 1pm blaze started at a store in the back of the ward where unused goods were kept.

However, other facilities were not affected by the fire during which, 21 patients were brought to safety.

On another matter, Dr Subramaniam said the idea of a countrywide health insurance system allowing Malaysians to visit any hospital, private or public, might conceptually "sounds nice", adding it was difficult to convince the people on the matter.

"They have to go down to the public, convince the public and tell me (Dr Subramaniam). Malaysians are very used to public health system services. Even with the increase of RM1 or RM2, there will be a hue and cry," he noted.

He said although the idea was also to minimise the gap between government and private health sectors which was in line with the government's aim, it must be done in a "painless manner".

An online portal on Wednesday quoted IHH Healthcare Berhad chairman Tan Sri Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman as saying the scheme would alleviate the burden at government hospitals which were currently swamped due to their low costs, while making private hospitals more accessible.

In IPOH, Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, the Perak state executive councillor in charge of health matters, said the affected area had been cordonned off to facilitate investigations.

"The hospital's Emergency Response Team (ERT) managed to put out the blaze in the store using a nearby fire hydrant but could not prevent it from spreading to the roof of the ward. Nevertheless, firemen extinguished the fire fully by 1.35pm," he told a press conference after visiting the affected ward.

He added that the patients, who were all areadly stable, were safely transferred to an adjacent ward.

Meanwhile, the hospital's director Dr Norhayati Nordin said staff and patients traumatised by the incident would be given the needed counselling.

"We have set up a Psychological First Aid (PFA) team made up of two counsellors, one clinical psychologist and 10 psychiatrists for the purpose," she said.

According to her, there were currently 950 male and 474 female patients at the hospital that was founded 57 years ago and that its ERT had 23 members to face such contingencies. -- BERNAMA