In a Facebook post today, Health Minister S Subramaniam said he made a follow-up visit to HSA in Johor Bahru this afternoon and met with the hospital’s directors, heads of units as well as the Fire and Rescue officer to discuss the next steps for action.
“A special team appointed by the concessionaire and Bhg Kejuruteraan (Engineering Department) will do a comprehensive inspection of the following areas viz a) the civil structure b) electrical installation including the wiring c) the biomedical gas system d) any other area of concern to ensure safety,” he said in his message.
He also said the entire exercise would take anywhere from two to three weeks before the report was finalised.
He explained that in the interim, hospital services would be disrupted, necessitating the transfer of HSA patients to other public and private hospitals so their medical treatment could continue.
“Some of the services will be relocated to Hospital Sultan Ismail, and Hospital Permai temporarily.
“We will be discussing with the private sector to support us in continuing some of our services in private hospitals,” he said, adding that a request was also made to the army for the loan of their mobile operating theatre to be placed in HSA so more urgent surgical work could continue uninterrupted.
He also appealed to residents of Johor Bahru to be patient with HSA “during this difficult period” and to use the facilities of Sultan Ismail Hospital and Kulai Hospital for their medical needs.