KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) today assured health care workers of personal protective equipment (PPE) stock lasting at least a fortnight.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah pointed out that PPE usage in public hospitals and clinics has risen by two to 10 times during the Covid-19 epidemic.
He said there are three methods of PPE procurement: full procurement at the federal and state level, procurement at the state level, and protective gear contributions from non-government organisations (NGOs).
“What is important, we must continuously get PPE from procurement, federal or state, and if NGOs want to donate, they can continue to donate PPE to us,” Dr Noor Hisham told a press conference.
“So far, our PPE stocks can last for at least two weeks, while we’re still getting PPE from procurement. We will arrange for distribution to each state and hospital.”
He added that MOH currently has 956 ventilators, which he said sufficed.
MOH recently set up an online database to monitor protective gear stock and usage in government hospitals and clinics, amid reports of shortages.
CodeBlue reported last Thursday doctors’ complaints about PPE shortages at three Klinik Kesihatan in Hulu Langat, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, forcing potentially risky rationing. These public health clinics send suspected or confirmed Covid-19 patients to government hospitals, besides seeing people with fever or acute respiratory infections.
