Private hospital in Melaka shuts down for two days after patient failed to disclose Covid-19 contact

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MELAKA: A private hospital here has temporarily shut down for two days because one of its patients failed to disclose his contact with a Covid-19 positive colleague from Kuala Lumpur when seeking treatment.

Oriental Straits Medical Centre (OMSMC) said it was forced to take precautionary measures and would temporarily close on Tuesday (March 24) and Wednesday(March 25) to carry out full sanitisation.

OMSMC had initially announced on Saturday (March 21) that its clinical services would continue before the hospital's CEO Gan Kong Hoe decided to temporarily cease operations to ensure that the whole medical centre is fully sanitised and declared safe by the authorities.

This following a 42-year-old local, who had sought treatment at the hospital, only declared that he was in contact with a positive Covid-19 patient after getting treatment for pneumonia.

The patient was then transferred to Melaka Hospital where he was confirmed positive and is currently receiving further treatment there.

He was in close contact with a colleague in Kuala Lumpur, linked to the tabligh cluster in Sri Petaling mosque.

On Monday (March 23), Gan said the measure was taken to ensure that the whole hospital was sanitised instead of only the affected areas to protect doctors, nurses, patients and visitors.

"All employees and patients, who had been in contact with the positive Covid-19 patient, were traced and sent for tests.

"They are now placed under quarantine," he said, adding that the public should be socially responsible to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Gan said clinical services would resume as usual after the exercise.