KOTA KINABALU: There are still enough hospital beds in Sabah to cater to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, says state Health Department director Dr Rose Nani Mudin (pic).

       She said to avoid a shortage of beds, hospitals have turned other wards into Covid-19 wards.

       “We have added beds to cater to the increasing number of cases in Sabah,” she said when contacted on Thursday (Sept 2).

       She declined to elaborate on other matters including the condition of hospital staff who are reportedly stretched.

       A news portal recently reported that doctors were forced to turn away patients to make way for more serious cases due to insufficient beds.

       The reports also stated that key hospitals – Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1, Duchess of Kent in Sandakan and also Tawau – were overwhelmed as cases continued to rise in Sabah over the past month.

       According to the state minister in charge of Covid-19 matters, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, the overall bed usage in the various facilities state-wide, including hospitals, is about 69%.

       On Wednesday (Sept 1), Dr Rose Nani said to address ventilator issues at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan, the hospital brought in additional ventilators from the Kinabatangan (10 units) and Beluran Hospitals (20 units).

       “We are facing a serious wave of Covid-19 at present, and from our statistics, we found that 80%-90% of patients needing intensive care are unvaccinated,” she said.

       Dr Rose Nani therefore urged the public to get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as possible.