Miri Hospital bars kids from visiting, tightens rules

Miri Hospital bans all children from non-essential visits as rules tighten in Covid-19 fight. Stephen pic

MIRI: Miri Hospital, which serves as northern Sarawak's regional Covid-19 treatment centre, has banned all children from visiting unless it is for urgent treatment.

Children of all age groups are no longer allowed to enter the hospital complex if they have no fixed appointment for health checks or if there is no emergency.

This is among the new rules on visitors going for outpatient treatment in Miri Hospital, said its management.

“On May 19, the hospital management decided to impose several new rules in efforts to break the Covid-19 chain of infections.

“Children visitors are totally prohibited from the hospital.

“For those outpatients coming for treatment, they can only come via appointment and registration.

“They can only enter (the hospital premises) 30 minutes before the exact appointment time with the doctor.

“They must wear face masks at all times and must wash hands and use sanitiser.

Social distancing is a must.

“After treatment and getting their medicine, they must get out of the hospital compound immediately, ” said the hospital management in public notces it has issued.

Only one person can accompany each patient into the hospital.

In a statement Thursday (May 21), Miri Hospital said it is a Covid-19 treatment centre serving northern Sarawak and thus must be extra strict in its crowd control and visiting procedures.

It serves a population of about one million people living in eight districts including Miri, Baram, Limbang, Lawas and Bario.

“These new rules we have imposed will create inconveniences but these are necessary measures.

“It is for the good of the public, the patients, the medical staff and all the workers.

“We need the public’s help to break the chain of Covid-19 infections, ” it said.

Miri Hospital has seen two deaths and about two dozen positive Covid-19 cases over the past two months.

On Feb 11, it started banning children below 12 from non-essential visits when the Covid-19 outbreak started getting serious.

Now, the rules have been tightened by several notches.