Expert: Sabah healthcare system not collapsing

KOTA KINABALU: A local medical observer has assured Sabahans that the state’s overstretched health facilities battling the Covid-19 spike are not in danger of collapsing despite the daily three-digit rise in numbers and recent deaths.

Contrary to growing concerns about the state’s healthcare ability to meet the three-digit increases since Oct 1, UMS Senior Public Health Medicine Specialist and Head of Public Health Unit Datuk Dr Mohd Yusof Ibrahim said that the healthcare system was still functioning and coping with the surge in cases.

He said there was massive relocating of staff from unaffected areas to places where there was a need for extra medical help and this included nurses from the UMS medical facility.

“Healthcare facilities are not collapsing. It is still functioning,” he said, in dismissing some medical experts’ view that the overstretched state healthcare system might not be able to cope.

He said non-virus-related cases would be handled by nearby medical facilities around the city as only Queen Elizabeth and Likas Women and Children Hospital were dedicated for Covid-19 cases.

“Emergency cases can still be seen. Collection of medicine for follow-up cases can also still be done,” he said, adding that the Health Ministry was providing the necessary assistance for the state.

“It’s a matter of time now that the cases will be settling down, maybe in early November,” he said.

Dr Yusof said mass testing was not practical and also expensive.

“The focus is now on contact tracing. That is why we see a lot of cases due to very active case tracing,” he explained.

As of Oct 15, Sabah has 3,429 active cases and 2,322 recoveries with 46 deaths reported.

On the high number of deaths, Dr Yusof said that it was not really high as most of the deaths involved high-risk people that already had existing and multiple medical conditions like hypertension and diabetes, among others.

Dr Yusof added that the number of Covid-19 patients who were recovering and being discharged was increasing.

Dr Yusof said the current critical Covid-19 situation could see the flattening of the curve by November with the Health Ministry’s efforts and support of community compliance.

“If everyone plays their role and ministry continues its strict surveillance activities, things should come down by November,” he said.

However, he said that the government must seriously tighten the borders here so no more illegal immigrants could sneak into the state.

On Thursday, Health director-general Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah said that 71% of the 1,081 beds in the nine dedicated hospital were being used while at least 23% of the 4,161 beds at the quarantine and treatment centres were for low-risk Covid-19 patients.