PUTRAJAYA, May 22 – With the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases categories four and five, that require critical care beds, the Health Ministry and UKM have met to discuss the proposed use of UKM Children Specialist Hospital (HPKK UKM) as a COVID-19 hospital.
Health Director General Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said the HPKK UKM was a new training hospital with a capacity of 243 beds including 28 adult sized ICU beds, which can be temporarily used to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients.
He said the ministry through powers under Section 3 and 4 of the Emergency Ordinance, will be able to have temporary ownership of the building and the use of resources (including human resources) of the private teaching hospital for the purpose of fighting COVID-19.
At a press conference aired live today by RTM, Dr Noor Hisham continued to implore people to stay indoors if there is nothing urgent to attend to outside their homes. The SOPs would have to be followed but more than that, people would need to look at self-imposed lockdowns.
He said the Health Ministry itself would require the next two weeks to “recover” and stack up its stocks, prepare the hospitals and staff to be more ready as cases go up.