(From left) Dr Nanthakumar accompanies Ago during the deputy minister’s visit to the modular ICU construction site at Sibu Hospital.
SIBU (Oct 3): A still-under-construction modular intensive care unit (ICU), equipped with 10 beds and 10 medical personnel from Peninsular Malaysia, is an undertaking meant to help alleviate the burden off Sibu Hospital amidst the fight against Covid-19, says Deputy Minister II of Health Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
According to him, the modular ICU is expected to be ready by Oct 11, as the 10 medical personnel are expected to arrive at Sibu Hospital on Oct 10.
“We hope (these measures) could help tackle the problems currently faced by Sibu Hospital, provided that there’s no surge (in the number of daily Covid-19) cases.
“If there were to be more cases (that require hospitalisation), then more ICUs would be needed,” he told reporters when met after visiting Sibu Hospital yesterday.
On the visit, Ago said it was instructed by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in view of various allegations hurled recently against the hospital on ‘CodeBlue’.
The website published a report about a letter, said to be from a doctor, claiming that Sibu Hospital staff members were being forced to work until they burned out – among other allegations.
In this regard, Ago said: “I have been tasked to investigate whether what has been raised via social media (website) is true or not.
“I have seen for myself what is happening in Sibu Hospital, where we treat many Covid-19 cases and there’s high workload.
“What is happening here is the staff, especially the doctors and nurses, being fully tasked with commitments. I have been informed that they no longer work eight hours daily – they now work 12 hours a day on shift as there is not enough staff because some have been infected with Covid-19 and must be quarantined.
“And also, with many (Covid-19) cases, the ICU wards are full, and so are the ordinary wards for Covid-19 (patients).
“There are certain wards that have exceeded the set capacity – for example, a ward that could accommodate up to 29 beds, is now accommodating 40 to 50 beds.
“This is one of the challenging problems for them (Sibu Hospital). The manpower remains the same; that is why the working hours have to be extended.”
Ago said he was informed that there were seven wards and two ICUs set for accommodating Covid-19 patients at the hospital.
“We have two ICUs, which are full. So we hope for the modular ICU to be ready by Oct 11.”
The total number of in-patients in these facilities yesterday reached 276.
Adding on, Ago said Sibu Hospital director Dr Nanthakumar Thirunavukkarasu had informed him that staff members could still go on leave if they really needed it.
In this regard, the deputy minister said outsourcing the services related to non-Covid-19 procedures to private hospitals would also be a way to help alleviate the burden faced by Sibu Hospital.
Meanwhile, Dr Nanthakumar said there were 45 personnel deployed here previously, but they had returned to Peninsular Malaysia.
“There was a cool-off period (in the number of daily Covid-19 cases) in July; that’s when they ce returned.
“Since August this year, we have been doing the best that we can, making use of what we have.”
Dr Nanthakumar recalled that during the early stage of the Covid-19 situation in January this year when Sibu had more cases, some hospitals in other places had deployed their manpower to Sibu Hospital then.