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Some of Penang’s Covid-19 patients now treated in private hospitals, CM Chow says

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow speaks to the press during a press conference at Komtar on January 6, 2021.  — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow speaks to the press during a press conference at Komtar on January 6, 2021. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

GEORGE TOWN, Jan 25 — As the number of Covid-19 patients in Penang continue to rise and government hospitals filled to over-capacity, some of these patients are spilling over into private hospitals.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said several private hospitals in Penang are now taking in Covid-19 patients.

He said the state health department is now continuing discussions with other medical centres, federal agencies and other agencies to treat and screen Covid-19 patients of various categories.

“We will be using Big Data Analysis especially in the sharing of information between agencies to prevent the spread of the virus at the local level,” he said in a statement issued today after attending a virtual National Security Council (NSC) meeting on the management of Covid-19 chaired by the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the MySejahtera platform will serve to play a role in directly managing patients.

“We will focus on prevention through strict enforcement at workers’ quarters that are the source of workplace clusters, especially involving the manufacturing, construction and services sectors,” he said.

He said the National Disaster Management Agency conducted a site visit to the MARA Excellence Centre in Jawi in South Seberang Perai on January 23 as the site was proposed as a quarantine and low-risk Covid-19 treatment centre before this.

Meanwhile, Chow’s political secretary Teh Lai Heng announced the cancellation of the Penang Chief Minister’s Chinese New Year Open House celebration that was scheduled to be held on February 13 this year.

“However, the nine-day virtual Chinese New Year celebration (Miao Hui) 2021 will continue to be held as planned starting from February 12,” he said.

He said there will not be any physical activities and the public can experience something new through the celebration which will be held fully online.

Teh reminded all state assemblymen, MPs and community leaders to adhere to the SOPs as implemented by the NSC by not organising any open house events or festivals that involved large gatherings.

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