Why didn’t govt purchase ambulances earlier, questions ex-minister

 

Dzulkefly Ahmad is concerned about talks of buying more ambulances when the government had announced it was already planning an exit strategy.

PETALING JAYA: A former health minister has doubled down on criticisms on the government’s plan to purchase additional ambulances, saying it should have been done much earlier instead.

Commenting on the health ministry’s clarification on the matter, Dzulkefly Ahmad said the procurement of ambulances should have been made when the Covid-19 cases hit Malaysians shores to “prepare for the worst”.

In fact, Dzulkefly said, when he was still in the Cabinet, he had pushed for the then Pakatan Harapan government to purchase 500 ambulances.

However, following the collapse of the government in February last year, Dzulkefly said there was no longer any talk about acquiring more ambulances.

“Why the current government and ministry overlooked the need to beef up our fleet of ambulances, be it type A or type B, is perplexing,” he told FMT.

Type A ambulances are used by first responders, while type B is for ferrying patients.

Dzulkefly also said it was “regrettable” that there were talks of buying more ambulances when the government had announced it was already planning an exit strategy under the National Recovery Plan.

Any beefing of the fleet of the ministry’s ambulances should have been done earlier as many, he said, were old and beyond economic repair.

“Worse, they are only now talking about negative pressure ambulances and of high-efficiency particulate air (Hepa) filters.”

Hepa filters are used to control contamination.

Yesterday, the health ministry clarified that not all the 500 ambulances it is seeking to purchase are negative pressure ambulances.

It also said that health minister Dr Adham Baba had been misunderstood.

Adham had reportedly said the ministry would be procuring more negative pressure ambulances to ferry Covid-19 patients to treatment centres, adding that it will begin with the tender of 500 ambulances while other ambulances will use the leasing system, according to zones.

Dzulkefly had in response to the initial news report said Putrajaya’s priorities were “tossed out the window” when he questioned the rationale behind the proposed purchase of so many negative pressure ambulances.

He also said the government should be investing in more negative pressure wards in hospitals than ambulances, citing the high number of deaths of late due to Covid-19. - FMT