Let patients with mild symptoms quarantine at home, govt urged

 

People lining up as they wait for their bed assignments at the low-risk quarantine centre at Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS).

PETALING JAYA: The health ministry has been urged to allow home quarantine for people with mild or no symptoms in view of overcrowding at quarantine centres.

LinkedIn user Alvin Dev Singh said in a posting that he found the conditions at the quarantine centre at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) to be unsafe, when he was taken there three days ago after being confirmed as infected with mild symptoms.

He told FMT that he managed to get a transfer out of MAEPS to be quarantined at a hotel instead. “I got lucky. I managed to get it all done in 24 hours considering it was Hari Raya,” he said.

He urged the ministry to undertake a prompt review of the management of all quarantine centres because of overcrowding and lack of facilities.

FMT has been unable to verify his claims. When contacted, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said resources were stretched at low-risk quarantine centres, hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs).

“Private hospitals are complementing the service by providing more beds and ICU care,” he said.

The low-risk quarantine centre at MAEPS.

“The only logical solution is to reduce the number of positive cases and with the movement control order (MCO), we hope more people will stay at home and fewer people will get infected.”

Alvin said he tested positive on May 7 with mild symptoms and was transferred by ambulance to Serdang three days ago. He was assigned to a makeshift quarantine centre at a parking lot that housed about 200 people who also suffered mild or no symptoms.

He said the frontliners also looked overworked as only two staff were managing the crowd.

“It was very difficult for patients to maintain SOPs, especially physical distancing. It was unsafe. It’s really not a comfortable situation to be in at all,” he wrote.

Rubbish strewn around a water filter area at the low-risk quarantine centre at MAEPS.

Alvin said he had to sleep with his face mask on as he was worried about contracting another strain of the virus because of the overcrowding. Conditions were aggravated by the sharing of limited toilet facilities.

“Some toilets were flooded while others had no water. Everyone was sharing the same cubicle. The overall effect was an increase in the potential or actual risk of cross-infection between patients,” he said.

Alvin added that the shower also did not work, there was not enough food at times.

“I also saw trash strewn around a water filter area.” - FMT