NGO rushes to build 2 isolation rooms for Sabah hospital

 

Lina Ramsah and her team discussing plans for the isolation rooms at Beluran Hospital in Sabah. (Lina pic)

PETALING JAYA: People have been forced back into the safety of their homes as the country battles the third wave of Covid-19 infections. The situation is particularly dire in Sabah.

But this has not stopped one determined homemaker there from leaving the confines of her home to organise a group of volunteers who are now in the midst of building two much-needed isolation rooms in their local hospital.

Lina Ramsah, 39, is the founder of Beluran Hope, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), where she is also a full-time volunteer. The NGO has been working hand in hand with Beluran Hospital since 2018 on a number of projects.

The latest is the building of two isolation rooms at Beluran Hospital.

Speaking to FMT, Lina said these isolation rooms were of the utmost importance since the spike in Covid-19 cases there has meant that local patients can no longer be referred to Sandakan Hospital as it is already overcrowded with the sick.

Left with little choice but to treat the sick at Beluran Hospital itself, her NGO is racing against time to build one labour room for pregnant women with Covid-19 and one changing room for nurses.

The labour room, being built right outside the maternity ward is 27 metres in length and 2.5 metres in height.

The second isolation room will be used exclusively by nurses to change in and out of their personal protective equipment (PPE) that they must wear when treating Covid-19 patients during their shifts.

One isolation room will house Covid-19 patients in labour while the other will be used by nurses to change in and out of their PPE. (Lina pic)

The changing room for nurses will be located inside the hospital and measure nine metres in length and 3.6 metres in height. Lina added that these rooms will be demolished once the pandemic is over.

“Living in a small town comes with its fair share of challenges and it was very difficult to get the materials needed to build the isolation rooms,” she said, explaining that some thankfully, were obtained from the council while the rest could only be sourced outside town.

“Only four volunteers can work on the isolation rooms at any one time in order to lower the risk of infection.

“We are also required to take a swab test on a daily basis to ensure that we are not infected,” Lina explained, adding that the same SOP was observed each time her volunteers left town to purchase building materials.

“But I am glad to say that even the staff of the Ministry of Health here are keen to join the project.”

Lina hopes that the isolation rooms will be ready by Monday.

Beluran Hope has been volunteering its services to the public as well as medical frontliners even since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country. During the MCO in March, volunteers spent three months distributing food to those in rural areas.

Lina (in black) and her team of volunteers distributing much needed food packs to rural folks. (Lina pic)

Beluran Hope is hoping to secure funds from the public to equip the new isolation rooms with essential items such as tables, plastic shoes (Crocs variety), which are used by the medical personnel.

They are also in urgent need of funds to purchase surgical masks, hand sanitisers, stand-fans and containers to store the PPE.

Those who wish to make a donation to Beluran Hope can do so here.

For updates on the progress of the isolation rooms at Beluran Hospital, head over to Lina’s Twitter account here. - FMT