Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor and State Secretary Datuk Seri Sr Safar Untong as well as heads of related agencies in Sabah attending the virtual Natural Disaster Management Committee meeting.
KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has agreed to expedite the setting up of the Tawau Field Hospital to assist the state in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said this in response to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor’s request during an online National Disaster Management Committee meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Monday.
The Chief Minister had earlier said the previous Field Hospital that was operated by the Armed Forces had ceased operations. He said the reopening of the Field Hospital in Tawau is pressing since the upgrading works for the Tawau District Hospital is only 60 per cent completed.
Hajiji told the meeting that 302 temporary evacuation centres have been identified in Sabah and 14 agencies involving 6,800 personnel have been activated in anticipation of the coming monsoon season.
In this respect, he said Sabah had activated its Disaster Management Committee following several natural disaster cases that had wreaked havoc and caused extensive damages to infrastructures and properties in several districts such as Beaufort and Penampang as well as other areas throughout Sabah.
“It is estimated that RM147 million is needed to repair the damages,” he said, adding that the State Government hoped assistance would be forthcoming from the Federal Government.
State Secretary Datuk Seri Panglima Sr Safar Untong and key State Disaster Management Committee members were also present at the meeting.