KUALA LUMPUR – The Sg Besi Military Camp here has been selected as the drive-through vaccination centre (PPV) for military personnel and their families as a pilot project to be implemented soon, Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.
“If it proved to be a success with the military personnel and their family members, then more drive-through PPVs will be opened for the public. The locations will be announced later.
“The drive-through vaccination is easier, safer and faster. While expediting the vaccination process, it can also prevent and curb the spread of Covid-19 among the public more effectively,” he said after attending the launch of the Armed Forces Covid-19 Modular Hospital at Tuanku Mizan Military Hospital here today.
Ismail Sabri said the construction of the hospital is expected to be completed in three months using the concept of pre-fabricated modules.
It will have 64 beds, including 16 in its intensive care unit, he said.
On the breach of the Malaysian airspace by 16 Chinese military aircraft recently, Ismail Sabri said the incident is being handled by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), which would not allow the nation’s sovereignty to be compromised.
On June 1, RMAF chief Gen Tan Sri Ackbal Abdul Samad said 16 Chinese military aircraft were detected flying close to the national airspace over the Malaysian Maritime Zone (MMZ) by the RMAF Air Defence Radar from the Air Defence Centre in Sarawak at 11.53am on Monday.
The RMAF identified the aircraft types as Ilyushin Il-76 and Xian Y-20, which are strategic transport aircraft capable of carrying out various missions.
The same day, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had said Wisma Putra will issue a diplomatic note to protest against the intrusion of the Chinese aircraft into Malaysian airspace to Beijing.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the armed forces will build six more field hospitals to strengthen the national healthcare system as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said this is in line with the government’s recent announcement of a RM1 billion allocation under the Supplementary Strategic Programme to Empower the People and Economy (Pemerkasa Plus) to strengthen public healthcare, including increasing the capacity of hospitals.
“The allocation will be used to boost manpower, like doctors, paramedics, health equipment and others. That means we will have eight (new) field hospitals (including two announced earlier) with this new allocation.
“What is being done by MAF can help the government address the Covid-19 pandemic, including the issue of (administering) vaccines,” he said.
Under the RM1 billion allocation, RM450 million is for increasing bed capacity and intensive care unit (ICU) equipment for Covid-19 treatment, not only in hospitals under the supervision of the Health Ministry, but also teaching hospitals of public universities, such as UiTM, UPM and UKM, as well as armed forces field hospitals.
The remaining RM550 million allocation is for meeting the increased operation and management costs in handling the Covid-19 health crisis, including buying medicines and reagents for screening tests and hiring officers on contract.
So far, three armed forces field hospitals have been built and are in operation: Tawau, Sabah; Kapit, Sarawak; and, Kepala Batas, Penang. – Bernama, June 3, 2021
