KOTA KINABALU – Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor should appoint one of his deputies to handle Covid-19 matters in the state, especially now that he is hospitalised with the disease, said Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin.
In a statement, Chan urged Hajiji to follow in his Sarawak counterpart’s footsteps, pointing to Datuk Abang Johari Openg’s appointment of Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas as the leader in charge of coronavirus-related issues.
“There is no health portfolio (in Sabah) despite the state being the epicentre of the new Covid-19 wave in the country.
“So, it is important that the Sabah cabinet leads the policymaking to combat the Covid-19 pandemic effectively, given that Sabah has 57% of Malaysia’s total active cases.
“I would expect his deputies to take up the chief minister’s responsibilities if Hajiji is unable to perform them himself.”
He called on health authorities to boost the manpower assigned to intensive care units to cope with the surge in coronavirus patients.
“It is times like this that the federal government ought to bring in more medical staff from other states and (assign) them in Sabah district hospitals that need them the most.
“The state government should speed up the approval of work passes for these staff.
“Under no circumstances should the healthcare system in Sabah be allowed to collapse.”
Two nurses with the ICU unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital II here have contracted Covid-19, leading to 40 of the facility’s 66 nurses undergoing quarantine. – The Vibes, October 11, 2020
