Medical Second Battalion commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Dr Mohd Zamri Derahman said the field hospital was expected to be operational within 10 days.

“We started construction work at 9.30am today and 23 tents are expected to be set up in a 2,300 square metre area at the Penang Hospital’s parking lot by midnight.

“Once that is done, in the next 10 days, we will carry out power supply, technical and public works. We hope to complete all these earlier than 10 days but that will depend on weather conditions.

“If the weather permits, we could see completion in seven days. Four officers and 50 personnel will be undertaking this project,” he told reporters after inspecting the field hospital site today.

Last Saturday, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said a field hospital would be built at the parking lot to accommodate the increasing number of Covid-19 patients in the state.

Khairy said the field hospital will provide more than 100 beds for patients, equipped with oxygen facilities, an intensive care unit (ICU) ward and other facilities to treat patients.

Meanwhile, Zamri said the field hospital would be equipped with four ICU beds and 96 non-ICU beds to treat category four and five Covid-19 patients.

“This will be our ninth field hospital. As for Penang, there is the ICU field hospital in Kepala Batas (on the mainland) and now this one here.”

Once operational, the Armed Forces will station 22 personnel and two medical officers at the field hospital, aided by a health ministry medical team, he said.

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