IPOH: A small fire at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) here triggered panic and an evacuation at 1.15am this morning.
Ward 5B had to be hurriedly emptied, and about 47 patients were transferred to a few nearby wards.
The fire is believed to have been sparked by a patient’s malfunctioning bed panel.
No injuries were reported in the incident among patients or hospital staff.
Ipoh Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia (JBPM) Zon 1 chief Mohd Khairul Jamil said the department received an alert on the incident at 1.17am and despatched its team to the location.
By the time they arrived, the fire had been doused by hospital staff using a fire extinguisher.
"Based on JBPM’s early investigation, we found that the fire was caused by an electrical wiring problem and a leak in an oxygen duct on the patient's bed head panel.
"However, it only caused five percent damaged to the bed cubicle, and did not affect the ward's building structure or cause injury to the patients.
"A total of 47 patients in the ward were transferred to a few nearby wards temporarily, while firemen continued to monitor the fire until it was totally extinguished," he said.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the source of the short circuit is still being investigated.
The incident, he said, is being investigated by the same team conducting a safety audit of government hospitals and clinics following the Hospital Sultanah Aminah fire which killed six people recently.
On the HSA incident, Dr Subramaniam said the ministry is still waiting for the Fire and Rescue Department's report.
Dr Subramaniam also rubbished rumours that the ministry would only replace the plugs in the ward instead of changing the entire wiring system. - Additional reporting by Veena Babulal