PETALING JAYA: Amid the upsurge of Covid-19 cases in the Klang Valley, the Health Ministry has announced a financial and morale booster for its resource-strapped hospitals, with a special payout for ICU staff, daycare centres for frontliners’ children and purchase of additional healthcare equipment.

       Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba (pic) said although the ministry has already spent RM700mil nationwide, further allocations including RM100mil will be allocated especially to outsource non-Covid-19 cases to private hospitals in order to free up more beds in public hospitals.

       Another RM20mil for mental health management and a special allowance of RM1,000 each for intensive care units (ICU) staff would also be spent, he said.

       The ministry will also spend RM5mil to add 151 hospital beds and 15 ventilators for the distressed Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) as well as allocate RM2mil to set up a special quarantine centre for frontliners.

       Another RM5mil would also be used to convert more spaces to treat Covid-19 patients in Selangor hospitals and another RM1.5mil to set up daycare centres or rent premises for the children of frontliners.

       “For unrecorded leave as requested by frontliners, I hope that the department head would be able to consider it to enable them to recuperate before being sent out on duty again,” said Dr Adham in a special press conference on Tuesday (July 13).

       Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah said that the ministry has requested for RM1.2bil in extra funds to support the operations to overcome the sharp rise of cases in greater Klang Valley.