Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim has been appointed as the Covid-19 coordinator between Penang and the federal government.
The announcement was made during a joint press conference between Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and the Penang state government.
“We don’t have a problem with the state government here. I always communicate with the chief minister (Chow Kon Yeow) via WhatsApp.
“But I have discussed with Lim Guan Eng, that we may need a coordinator at the level of federal MP that will always receive a follow-up from me,” Khairy was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
Penang has been experiencing a high number of Covid-19 cases.
According to Health Ministry data, the Covid-19 bed use is now at 107 percent in the state.
Bernama cited Khairy as saying that the capacity in private Penang hospitals is 87 percent full.
To this end, he said private hospitals in the state have agreed to add another 300 beds. However, he would like to request a further 1,000 beds be made available.
Meanwhile, Sim outlined six areas he would like to focus on as the state-federal Covid-19 coordinator, namely to increase healthcare capacity; to reduce the response time for Covid-19 patients to get health services; more efficient risk assessment and enforcement especially at factories; to ensure a stable supply of vaccines to have 100 percent of Penang adults vaccinated next month; to ensure healthcare for those under home quarantine to reduce the number of brought in dead cases, and for more transparency in Penang's daily Covid-19 statistics.
Previously, Khairy had appointed Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming as the Selangor coordinator for Operation Surge Capacity, which sought to ramp up vaccination in the state. - Mkini
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