MOH Assesses Seberang Jaya Hospital Drainage Capacity Following Ceiling Leak Incident

GEORGE TOWN, Nov 12 (Bernama) – The Ministry of Health (MOH) is assessing the capacity of rainwater downpipes at the Seberang Jaya Hospital (HSJ) to determine whether improvements are needed following a ceiling leak incident during heavy rainfall recently.

Penang Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said immediate mitigation works had been carried out in collaboration with the Penang State Health Department (JKNPP), engineering teams from the ministry and the hospital’s maintenance concessionaire, while long-term measures would be undertaken to prevent a recurrence.

He said the unusually heavy rainfall within a short period, coupled with issues involving the building’s downpipes, was believed to have contributed to the incident, which affected both the old and new hospital blocks.

“I think the main issues are actually due to the huge volume of rainfall and some of the downpipes of the building.

“But rest assured that all mitigation work and corrective measures will be taken to address this issue,” he told a press conference after delivering his keynote address at the opening of the 10th Asia-Pacific Smoke-Free Meeting here today.

Gooi said the volume of rainfall on the day of the incident might have exceeded the capacity of the existing downpipes, adding that several contributing factors had been identified with corrective measures undertaken immediately.

He said no similar issues occurred despite heavy rainfall yesterday while further long-term measures would be taken to prevent a recurrence.

Gooi said short-term mitigation measures had been completed, while further improvements would be considered as part of long-term efforts to prevent similar incidents.

Meanwhile, Penang Health director Dr Zulhizzam Abdullah said the hospital’s maintenance concessionaire had engaged experts to assess the drainage system, while MOH engineers were expected to conduct an evaluation.

“We are doing an assessment. Are the current downpipes enough or do we need more? A full report can be prepared, but this is going to be addressed soon,” he said, adding that the ministry would address this matter.

The JKNPP had previously confirmed that no patients were affected by the incident, while the HSJ Engineering Unit, in collaboration with the hospital’s building management concessionaire, was assessing the extent of the damage and would implement control measures.

The incident on Nov 7, which occurred between 5.45 pm and 7 pm, affected several locations in Block A (old building) and Block B (new building), with most of the affected areas in the older block. Videos of healthcare workers using umbrellas indoors as rainwater leaked from the ceiling and flooded parts of the floor had also gone viral on social media.

--BERNAMA