Melaka Hospital bed usage near critical level, field hospital soon in Jasin - Exco

MELAKA: A Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) field hospital will be set up at Jasin Hospital very soon to alleviate the burden of Melaka Hospital as bed usage there is reaching a critical level.

State Health and Anti-Drugs Committee chairman Datuk Rahmad Mariman said the field hospital will also cater for non-COVID-19 patients and allow the Melaka Hospital to fully focus on COVID-19 treatment.

He said until last Wednesday, bed usage at Melaka Hospital was at 90 per cent for regular patients while COVID-19 bed usage was 91 per cent, which was 400 out of 444 beds.

"Almost all of the space in Melaka Hospital has been used for treatment, including all zones in the Emergency Department, meeting rooms, stores while tents have been mounted in the ambulance parking lot to accommodate COVID-19 patients.

"The federal government yesterday approved Melaka's request to establish a field hospital," he told reporters after visiting the drive-through vaccination center (PPV) at the Melaka International Airport (LTAM) in Batu Berendam here today.

Rahmad said the field hospital would have the capacity of accommodating up to at least 100 non-COVID-19 patients.

He said it was among the preparedness measures taken for COVID-19 treatment besides efforts to reduce the use of critical beds to below 70 per cent to achieve the criteria to move into Phase 2 of movement control under the National Recovery Plan (PPN).

Rahmad said two more district hospitals, namely in Alor Gajah and Jasin, were now forced to accomodate COVID-19 patients from this week.

-- BERNAMA