Health Ministry orders shutdown of HSA main building

The Health Ministry has ordered the main building of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) to be shut down immediately starting today following the deadly fire incident on Tuesday.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the decision is to allow comprehensive checks to be carried out to ensure there would not be a repeat of the incident.

"Checks will be be done on all engineering aspects at the block including wiring, structure, bio-medical gas utility and others.

"The building would be closed for two to four weeks, depending on situation."

"Services that have been carried out by HSA, particularly in the west block here, will continue but in a different location," Dr Subramaniam told reporters after an investigations and operations briefing at the HSA today.

Following the decision, the units affected - HSA's Accident & Emergency Department (A&E), Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and blood bank - will be relocated to Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) and Hospital Permai within the Johor Bahru district.

Dr Subramaniam urged the public to continue to seek treatment and services from HSA at the two hospitals for the time being.

The minister added that the Fire and Rescue Department's full report is expected to be completed with 14 days after the incident which saw the death of six patients.

Asked whether HSA has the required fire certificate (FC), Dr Subramaniam said he will need to obtain further confirmation from the fire department on the matter.

"I'm not sure about the certificate. This hospital was built in the 19th century. At that time, there was no requirement for an FC. The hospital then has already started running.

"However, I think, every time any changes or upgrading works are done, including fire prevention and control tools, they will go through the fire department, and they get the recognition as is mandatory upon them," he said.