Public healthcare in Sabah functioning as usual despite COVID-19 constraints - Dr Noor Hisham

KUALA LUMPUR: The public healthcare system in Sabah is still functioning as usual despite constraints faced due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the state, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

He denied that public health services in Sabah have been crippled as reported in a news portal recently.

Dr Noor Hisham said currently, there were seven hospitals treating COVID-19 patients at levels three, four and five, with 4,822 beds available compared to 2,566 beds previously.

“They include 66 intensive care unit beds and 170 respiratory aid units, with bed occupancy so far at 66 per cent," he said in an online media conference via the Health Ministry’s Facebook account here today.

Dr Noor Hisham said the MOH has also identified six more quarantine and low-risk treatment centres to treat COVID-19 cases at levels one and two, making it a total of 16 treatment centres so far.

Commenting on medical facilities, Dr Noor Hisham said at present, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) supply in Sabah was sufficient for 50 days.

“We will monitor the need for PPEs and will add (supply) from time to time," he said.

He added that a total of 483 health personnel have been deployed to Sabah to help handle the COVID-19 situation.

Dr Noor Hisham said the Health Ministry also welcomes volunteers to Sabah to help out in the field, adding that no fixed number has been set for this purpose.

On test facilities, Dr Noor Hisham said so far there are three laboratories capable of conducting 2,500 tests a day, this is in addition to several laboratories in the peninsula that handle samples flown in by the Malaysian Armed Forces daily.

-- BERNAMA