MAF to build six more field hospitals - Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) will build six more field hospitals to strengthen the national healthcare system as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic, said Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said this was in line with the government's recent announcement of a RM1 billion allocation under the Supplementary Strategic Programme to Empower the People and Economy (PEMERKASA Plus) to strengthen public healthcare, including increasing the capacity of hospitals.

"The allocation will be used to boost manpower like doctors, paramedics, health equipment and others. That means we will have eight (new) field hospitals (including two announced earlier) with this new allocation.

"What is being done by MAF can help the government address the COVID-19 pandemic, including the issue of (administering) vaccines," he told a media conference after attending the launch programme for building an MAF COVID-19 Modular Hospital at the Tuanku Mizan Armed Forces Hospital here today.

Under the RM1 billion allocation, RM450 million is for increasing bed capacity and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipment for COVID-19 treatment, not only in hospitals under the supervision of the Health Ministry but also teaching hospitals of public universities such as UiTM, UPM and UKM, as well as MAF field hospitals.

The remaining RM550 million allocation is for meeting the increased operation and management costs in handling the COVID-19 health crisis, including buying medicines and reagents for screening tests and hiring officers on contract.

On May 23, Ismail Sabri was reported as saying that MAF would build two more field hospitals to help in the fight against COVID-19.

So far, three MAF field hospitals have been built and are in operation - Tawau, Sabah; Kapit, Sarawak and Kepala Batas, Penang.

-- BERNAMA