Covid-19: As deaths rise, Sungai Buloh hospital needs another freezer container

 

Sungai Buloh Hospital - the country’s main treatment facility for Covid-19 - has resorted to procuring a second freezer container to deal with the increasing number of deaths.

According to sources privy to the Health Ministry’s plans, arrangements are also being made to convert the nearby UiTM Hospital into a full Covid-19 treatment facility.

This is to prepare for more patients to come in the weeks ahead.

A source said the hospital’s Forensics Department needs more space to store bodies, as the number of Covid-19 deaths continues to rise every day.

This was despite one freezer container having been installed at the department just earlier this week. The container has a maximum capacity of 20 bodies.

“The hospital is getting another freezer container to prepare for more death cases,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The country started seeing a sudden jump in the number of pandemic-related deaths earlier this month, with a bulk of the cases reported in Selangor.

In the last nine days - between May 12 and May 21 - MOH recorded a total of 427 deaths nationwide, including 144 in Selangor.

Out of that, 49 of the deaths were registered at Sungai Buloh Hospital, including patients who died while receiving treatment and those whose bodies were brought to the facility.

It is learned that the hospital mortuary has a capacity of 18 bodies, making the maximum number of bodies it can keep with the existing freezer container at 38.

Another full Covid-19 treatment facility

Meanwhile, another source revealed that Health Ministry is cooperating with the Higher Education Ministry to convert the UiTM Hospital as a full Covid-19 treatment facility.

UiTM Hospital in Sungai Buloh is a teaching hospital within the university's campus that houses its Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry.

It is located only about 1km from Sungai Buloh Hospital and the National Leprosy Control Centre.

“UiTM Hospital will not be the main Covid-19 hospital, but rather a back-up facility to ease the congestion at Sungai Buloh Hospital.

“According to the plan, this is to start next month,” said the source in Putrajaya.

According to the official, who also speaks on condition of anonymity, another UiTM medical facility located in Puncak Alam would also be roped in to assist by taking in all non-Covid-19 cases from Sungai Buloh Hospital. - Mkini