PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry (MoH) has announced that six hospitals and dozens of public health clinics in Kelantan and Terengganu have been affected by floods.
The hospitals affected in Kelantan are Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab (HRPZ) II and Hospital Tengku Anis (HTA), in Pasir Puteh, whereas the four in Terengganu are Hospital Kemaman, Hospital Besut, Hospital Setiu and Hospital Hulu Terengganu.
Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said all healthcare services at HRPZ II are still operating as usual even though the hospital has been breached by flood waters.
"Laboratory services, imaging services and diagnostics at HTA have been temporarily stopped. The shutting down of power internally has been done to protect the equipment from damage and getting spoilt.
"Any need for such services will be referred to the nearest hospitals which are HRPZ II and Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM).
"There are 19 patients from HTA who have been transferred to HRPZ II and HUSM because there were concerns that the flood water level could rise. The transfer of patients was carried out and managed by the Kelantan State Disaster Operations Control Centre," he said in a statement today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the rise in flood waters caused an overflow into the Emergency services and maternity ward at Hospital Kemaman on Sunday night (Dec 18), though it subsided the next morning.
"The sudden rise in flood waters in areas near Hospital Besut, Hospital Setiu and Hospital Hulu Terengganu resulted in the roads and access to the hospitals and the surrounding areas being cut off and being accessible only by boat or air.
"However, these hospital were prepared for such a situation and scenario with sufficient medical supplies, food and disposables," he said.
Hisham also shared that there were 32 other health facilities that have been affected by the floods in Kelantan, specifically 22 field clinics and 10 health clinics.
"Of this number, seven facilities are still operational, while 22 have temporarily moved, shifted operations to alternative health facilities while there others have ceased operations.
"In Terengganu, the flood situation there has impacted 40 healthcare facilities in the state, 27 field clinics, five healthcare clinics, four dental clinics, three district health offices (PKD) and one vector unit at the state health department.
"Of this total, 19 health facilities are still operational, six have transferred operations to alternative facilities while 15 are no longer operating for now." he said.