Earlier this year, the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) took only four days to turn its convention centres into a temporary hospital for over 600 Covid-19 patients.
Now, it will take the same number of days to prepare 3,000 beds in the first phase of turning four halls into a quarantine and treatment centre for patients who are asymptomatic and those with mild symptoms.
And once all three phases are completed, MAEPS will have 10,000 beds for Covid-19 patients – putting it on par with India which did the same in July at the campus of Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi’s Chhatarpur.
“But we will provide more than 3,000 beds only if more beds are required,” explained MAEPS chief operating officer Norafizah Rahman.
“The last time we only had 640 beds, now the same halls would accommodate five times the number of patients for the first phase.
“Unlike the first time, we will not have lavish facilities as we need to handle more patients. It is not such a tedious process and we are confident of getting the facilities ready by the weekend.
“As such, we have kept it simple. Even though it can be likened to a ‘field hospital’, it will be comfortable as all the halls are air-conditioned.”
She added MAEPS staff are working round the clock to ensure the halls are ready.
“As soon as one of the halls is ready, the Health Ministry will send the patients over,” she said.
“For the first phase, we are using the same four halls used previously. Three of them are for patients while one will handle administrative work.”
The second phase will see MAEPS prepare 3,300 beds while the final stage is for 3,700 beds.
The MAEPS Covid-19 quarantine and low-risk centre began operations on April 16 and received its first patient on April 21. The centre ended operations on July 15 after treating 1,362 patients – 86 per cent foreign nationals and 14 per cent Malaysians.
Here’s a round-up of The News Normal, today.
PERAK SULTAN SLAMS POLITICIANS
Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin today criticised the state politicians after swearing in a third menteri besar (Datuk Saarani Mohamad) in two years.
In his speech, Sultan Nazrin said this is not a history to be proud of as what has happened will be seen as “the failure of leaders in administering the state in the best way possible in the interest of the people.”
OCM WELCOMES STATEMENT ON POSSIBLE PENSION SCHEME FOR OLYMPIANS
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria welcomes Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican’s statement on the possibility of a pension for athletes who qualify for the Olympics.
CELEBRITY PREACHER PLEADS NOT GUILTY OF TWO COUNTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
Celebrity preacher Syed Shah Iqmal Syed Mohammad Shaiful was charged with two counts of committing unnatural sex and using criminal force on a private college student with intent to outrage her modesty two months ago.
The 25-year-old celebrity preacher who is popularly known as Da’i Syed, was detained following a series of sexual assault reports lodged by several women.
AG’s REPORT REVEALS LONG WAIT FOR HAWKER LICENCE
The Auditor-General (AG) Report 2019 revealed today that some hawkers waited for 515 days just to get licence approvals from Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
Hawker licence applications are supposed to be decided between 14 and 20 days according to City Hall’s client charter.
LESSONS FOR MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL FROM MARA CORP AND PERAK MB DRAMAS
What do Mara Corporation (Corp) Mara Corp and the Perak government “crises” have to do with football? A lot.
Menteris besar or those in power in the state or federal government often helm sports associations, especially in football. When they are ousted or quit, the association is also affected.
Mara Corp’s latest drama is a classic example. Its group chief executive officer Datuk Badlisyah Abdul Ghani only served for three months before being asked to go on “garden leave”.
A football team cannot have a CEO running the show for three months only to be asked to go on “garden leave”. The board members must be free of political alliances.
The same applies to organisations like Mara Corp.
