Kluang Hospital reactivated as COVID-19 hospital

JOHOR BAHRU, Nov 28 -- The Enche’ Besar Hajjah Kalsom Hospital (HEBHK) in Kluang, near here, has been officially reactivated as a COVID-19 hospital beginning Wednesday (Nov 25).

State Health and Environment Committee chairman R.Vidyananthan said the reactivation was following the implementation of Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) at Tongkang Pecah, Batu Pahat, effective tomorrow until Dec 13.

The CMCO implementation, involving 16,300 residents, would enable the state Health Department to conduct targeted COVID-19 screenings and reduce movements within the community.

“HEBHK will specifically treat COVID-19 patients only, except for emergency cases involving existing haemodialysis service patients, radiology for ultrasound or CT scan, emergency cases at the Emergency and Trauma Department and outpatient service and specialist clinics at existing locations,” he said in a statement, here, today.

Vidyananthan said daily treatment of Thalassaemia patients had been moved to the Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital (HSNI) in Batu Pahat while elective surgeries and after office-hour clinic services had been postponed. 

As such, he said, all new non-COVID-19 admissions to HEBHK would be stopped, except for emergency maternity cases.

Yesterday, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the CMCO enforcement at Tongkang Pecah was based on advice and risk assessment by the Health Ministry after 56 positive COVID-19 cases were recorded in the area.

-- BERNAMA