ISKANDAR PUTERI – Johor will open up another low-risk Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centre soon to accommodate the increasing number of patients in the state.
Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the centre at Permai Hospital near Johor Baru would be the third in the state, besides the one at Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) Indoor Stadium and the private centre at the DB Complex here.
“The district officer is currently preparing the necessary documents to identify how many beds and mattresses are required for the new centre,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview at his office here, today.
He explained that only one building at the Permai Hospital would be utilised for patients in category one and two, namely asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms, including mothers and their children who previously had to be separated.
At the same time, the state government has also identified another possible location, namely the old building of the KPJ Kluang Specialist Hospital in Kluang, but this would depend on needs.
“The KPJ Kluang Specialist Hospital has offered us (their old building and facilities) for free as they have moved to the new building. The old building can accommodate about 400 to 450 beds,” said Hasni.
Currently, the centre at the MBPG Indoor Stadium has a capacity of 1,043 beds while the centre at the DB Complex has 395 beds.
He added that as of May 26, bed occupancy at the MBPG Indoor Stadium has reached 91%, involving 952 patients in categories one and two.
Johor recorded 431 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, bringing the cumulative number of positive cases in the state to 58,814 with 296 fatalities. – Bernama, June 2, 2021
