COVID: PKRC at MAEPS prepared to open more halls

SERDANG: The COVID-19 Integrated Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) 2.0 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) is prepared to open more halls to accommodate the increasing number of patients, especially from the Klang Valley.

Its director Dr Shahabuddin Ibrahim today said five halls were currently open, namely Halls A, B, C, D1 and DG, which housed a total of 3,883 COVID-19 patients from categories 1, 2, and 3.

"From time to time we are adapting to the needs and risks involved, for example, looking at the increase in COVID-19 cases for category 3, we can already expect it will cause a backlog at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

"We are always a few steps ahead, and even now, we are making preparations to open another hall, namely Hall E (to accommodate the increase in patients)," he told the media after checking the preparations for Hall F which is expected to begin operating tomorrow.

COVID-19 category 1 and 2 patients were asymptomatic patients or had mild symptoms, while category 3 were symptomatic with pneumonia and category 4 were symptomatic with pneumonia and required oxygen assistance.

Hall A currently houses patients from categories 1, 2 and 3; Hall B places category 3 patients while Hall C, D1 and DG house category 1 and 2 patients.

As of now, PKRC at MAEPS has a capacity of 5,869 beds, with about 70 per cent already filled.

Dr Shahabuddin said PKRC MAEPS was also ready to accept more category 4 transit patients.

"From the time the PKRC was initially setup, the main purpose other than for quarantine, was to serve as a buffer to hospitals in the Klang Valley, and we concentrate on category 3, 2 and 1 patients.

"We really have to be ready to accept more category 4 patients which may be housed in Hall B for patients with long-term oxygen dependency, but our target is, within six hours, we will transfer them to the Sungai Buloh Hospital," he said.

Currently, category 4 COVID-19 patients are temporarily housed in a negative pressure isolation tent, acting as a transit Intensive Care Unit (ICU) known as the MAEPS Acute Resuscitation And Isolation Area (MARIA).

Critical patients who need respiratory assistance will be stabilised first at MARIA before being re-admitted to the ward or taken to the Sungai Buloh Hospital for further treatment.

On the opening of Hall F, Dr Shahabuddin said it provided 580 beds to accommodate category 1 and 2 patients.

"We want to provide a little more comfort for our citizens, so we built this Hall F with the best possible facilities such as air conditioning, a lounge for patients to relax and there are dividers that separate male from female patients.

"This is to ensure that those housed in Hall F are more comfortable, including having access to surau and toilet facilities," he said.

-- BERNAMA