Almost RM600mil spent on medical equipment to combat Covid-19 – KJ

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept  22  –A total of RM593 million has been spent on emergency procurement of additional hospital equipment for COVID-19 treatment over the past two years, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the procurements made in 2020 and this year (2021) had been distributed to health facilities nationwide.

“The equipment includes regular patient beds, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patient beds, ventilators, ultrasounds, body freezers, containers and oxygen cylinders and they do no include contributions in equipment received from abroad worth RM148 million,” he said in response to a question from Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PH-Kapar).

Abdullah Sani wanted to know the capability of equipment at government hospitals used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Khairy said apart from providing additional hospital equipment, the Health Ministry had also set up the National Rapid Response Task Force’ so that health workers could be mobilized to states with high cases such as Penang, Kedah and Sabah.

— BERNAMA