KOTA KINABALU – Although many have been surprised by the directive for some Covid-19 patients to observe self-isolation at home, this has been carried out in Sabah since early December.
The shortage of beds and ambulance services have forced many Covid-19 patients in the state to stay home for days while completing their self-isolation according to doctors’ orders.
The Vibes learnt that the state health authorities appear to have eased on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for patients, with a source alleging there have been no official memos on these new practices.
“We have not seen the circular in black and white, but yes, some patients had to be discharged earlier.
“They (the patients) roughly spend two to three nights at the quarantine centre,” the source said, adding that this only applies to those with minor symptoms.
The Vibes has sighted two discharge papers, with one informing a patient to undergo a 14-day self-isolation at home and another issued on early discharge from a local quarantine centre near here.
The source alleged that health authorities left scores of Covid-19 patients at home for three to four days before picking them up and sending them to isolation facilities.
Many of these cases are in the west-coast districts, such as Penampang, Papar, Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran, where much of the treatment and isolation procedures are done at government facilities.
“There are two reasons that are causing this – the lack of designated ambulances to pick up patients, and the lack of beds.
“It will take a few days for one bed to be cleared and prepared before a new patient can use it. The same with ambulances. It can take up to three hours before an ambulance can be sent out again to pick up patients,” the source said.
According to him, most of the statistics released by the Covid-19 secretariat do not reflect the situation on the ground.
Instead of revealing the numbers of beds occupied and ambulances by districts, the secretariat opts to present a cumulative figure for Sabah.
“Case numbers differ between districts. For instance, the numbers in Kota Kinabalu are usually much higher, given that the main hospitals, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, are usually overrun.
“The hospitals serve populated areas – Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Penampang, Kuala Penyu, Beaufort and so on.”
The source, who is attached to the Health Ministry, said that while the cumulative figure showed there are still beds available, there are not enough ambulances to go around.
“The ambulances are deployed daily with a long list of patients they need to pick up. Sometimes, it is 15 to 25 people a day in Penampang alone.
“Some patients are left behind. This is why some of the patients have to wait up to four days at home before the health authorities are able to come get them.”
A family from Inobong, Penampang, told The Vibes that they also waited up to four days before health workers came to pick them up.
The family was discharged from the low-risk treatment centres in Kota Kinabalu after spending four days there.
They are now completing the rest of their isolation period at home after doctors signed their discharge papers.
A Penampang resident, who wishes to be identified as Peter, said there is a growing concern in the district over the way cases are handled.
“First of all, we don’t know who they are (those discharged to observe self-isolation). They could be our next-door neighbours.
“The health authorities do not reveal such information for fear that the victims might be subject to community scrutiny.
“But in doing so, those who are not infected risk contracting the virus if the patients go about their daily lives as usual.
“Are there any monitoring controls set up by the authorities? Are they visiting these houses and checking whether the patients indeed adhere to the stay-at-home order?” he told The Vibes.
Earlier, the SOPs required patients to be taken to the hospital instantly from their respective homes upon positive result.
As of November 9, Sabah has 34 quarantine centres – 20 on the west coast and 14 on the east coast.
Yesterday, the Covid-19 secretariat revealed that the total number of beds in Covid-19 hospitals stand at 966 while 5,444 beds are in low-risk quarantine centres in Sabah.
The secretariat noted that the number of occupied beds stood at 24.29%, without a breakdown according to districts.
Meanwhile, only 21 vehicles are being used to pick up Covid-19 patients and the authorities have 203 more vehicles as back-ups, but have not used them to cover the state’s needs.
As of yesterday, 1,557 patients are undergoing treatment, 564 are in hospitals and 993 are in quarantine centres.
Sabah does not reveal how many patients have been picked up from their homes, but only notes cases that have been admitted to hospitals and quarantine centres.
Meanwhile, a local businessman expressed concern over several construction sites continuing to operate without workers being screened for Covid-19.
He told The Vibes that this includes K Avenue, Likas Boulevard, Jesselton Quay, The Shore, and Sutera Harbour Boulevard (Coral Bay).
“I’m also concerned that some may opt to let their workers stay in their quarters.
“If one of them is infected, how will they isolate the workers, who are mostly foreigners and possibly undocumented?”
He feared that corruption might have taken place as developers were told to pay to screen their foreign workers for Covid-19.
“I imagine it will cost RM200 per worker, and if the workers later show Covid-19 symptoms, they have to undergo subsequent screenings,” he said. – The Vibes, December 28, 2020
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