18 hospitals in Sarawak are now providing screenings for COVID-19, according to the Director-General of Health Malaysia, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah
There are now 18 hospitals providing screenings for COVID-19 in Sarawak, according to Director-General of Health Malaysia, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
During the daily press conference on 30th April 2020, he explained that this is an increasing from five screening hospitals during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
In relation, he noted that four hospitals are currently identified as COVID-19 treatment centres in Sarawak, namely Sarawak General Hospital, Miri Hospital, Bintulu Hospital and Sibu Hospital.
These hospitals have a total of 736 COVID-19-dedicated beds and are equipped with 63 ICU beds with 112 ventilators.
Furthermore, five facilities have been identified as quarantine and low-risk treatment centres, which have a capacity of 901 beds.
COVID-19 testing are presently conducted in four laboratories – Sarawak General Hospital, Sibu Hospital, Miri Hospital and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) – and they are able to carry out 898 tests per day, with the aim to increase the number of tests per day to 1,040 soon.
To enhance testing capability in Sarawak, Sarawak General Hospital is expected to receive a Lab Turbo machine that will be operational by early May 2020 (with a capacity of 200 tests a day).
Meanwhile, Bintulu Hospital will be able to conduct COVID-19 tests beginning mid-May 2020 (with a capacity of 30 to 40 tests a day).
“If required, (the Ministry of Health) will send samples to hospital laboratories in Peninsular Malaysia or to private laboratories, as part of a short-term measure to rapidly increase testing capacity,” Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah stated.
