KUALA LUMPUR, September 26 – Two Ministry of Health (MOH) clinics were engulfed in fire this month, with no injuries or casualties reported, it was confirmed.
A fire incident occurred at the Klinik Kesihatan Desa Sepintas in Sabak Bernam, Selangor, last Wednesday (September 21), damaging 60 per cent of the clinic’s main building. A quarters unit at the clinic, however, was unaffected by the blaze, according to a statement by Selangor health department director Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman on September 22.
All of the clinic’s services have been temporarily transferred to Klinik Kesihatan Sabak Bernam.
Another fire was reported two weeks ago on September 13 at Klinik Kesihatan Parit Baru, also located in Sabak Bernam, Selangor. The fire destroyed the clinic’s entire outpatient block, which included the treatment and emergency rooms, a pharmacy, and lab, the state health department confirmed in a separate statement on the day of the incident.
The clinic’s maternal and child, post-natal, and immunisation services have been moved to Klinik Desa Teluk Rhu, while its dental and other services will be performed at Klinik Kesihatan Sg. Air Tawar. The causes of the fires are still under investigation.
Earlier today, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin visited the two sites and announced on Twitter the approval of emergency allocations for the two government health clinics.
Khairy said that a RM1.6 million emergency fund had been approved to build a temporary clinic in Parit Baru, while an additional RM481,000 emergency fund was approved to rebuild Klinik Kesihatan Desa Sepintas immediately to provide comfort for nearby residents.
At least four fire incidents involving MOH clinics have been reported in the past 12 months. In addition to the two clinics in Sabak Bernam, two other fires took place at Klinik Kesihatan Mansiat in Keningau, Sabah, on June 14, and at Klinik Kesihatan Jalan Masjid in Kuching, Sarawak, on October 3, last year, the Borneo Post reported.
No injuries or casualties were reported. The causes of the fires remain unknown.
In 2016, a deadly blaze at Johor’s Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) killed six patients, most of whom were in their 20s and 30s, while one patient was seriously injured. HSA is one of the busiest hospitals in Malaysia based on patient load.
After five years, and multiple health ministers at helm, an independent inquiry’s findings on the deadly 2016 fire at HSA has not been released. Khairy, in June, said the findings will be released upon approval from the ministry’s legal advisor.
