Medivest urged to make records public after twin incidents at HSA

Senai state assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi has urged Medivest Sdn Bhd to disclose its maintenance and risk assessment records after a fire yesterday and an evacuation today due to smoke at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) in Johor in just 48 hours.

“As a matter of transparency and in view of the disasters which happened in Johor, Medivest should make public their maintenance and risk assessment records of Hospital Sultanah Aminah,” she said.

Earlier today, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam revealed that that maintenance works for the hospital were outsourced to medical soultions provider Medivest Sdn Bhd.

He added that Medivest was also responsible for helping to draft the standard operating procedures as well as emergency response protocols and to train the hospital staff in them.

The DAP lawmaker said the second incident in just two days at HSA raised serious concerns over the maintenance of government hospitals.

She said that apart from Medivest, the government too should make public its contracts with such companies in the interest of transparency.

Wong noted that all government hospitals in Johor had been serviced by Medivest since 1996 and the company received a 10-year concession renewal in 2015.

“While related agencies are now conducting investigation over the fire disasters, it is also timely for the federal government to come clean and reveal contracts between Health Ministry and all private concessionaires providing support services to hospitals,” she said.

She noted that in Budget 2017, the government allocated over RM2 billion for such support services.

Wong said this was not to blame anyone but to ensure there will not be a repeat of the incidences.

“While we mourn, we also want answers and clarifications, not mainly to put blames on any parties but to ensure that such tragic incident will not happen again, especially in a hospital, a place where the most vulnerable go to seek remedy for their illness.

“Patients, family members and medical staff deserve a safe environment to receive treatment, take care of their loved ones and perform their duties professionally,” she said.

Yesterday, a fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit at HSA, killing six patients.

Smoke came out of a socket at the hospital’s operating theatre today, prompting an evacuation.

Wong praised the hospital’s staff who have had to deal with the incidences.

“The selfless medical staff at Hospital Sultanah Aminah who risked their own lives to save their patients had touched the hearts of all Malaysians.

“They are our heroes, and it is now our responsibility to ensure a safe working environment for them from now onwards,” she said. -Mkini