State of quarantine centres to be brought to attention of Health Ministry

KOTA KINABALU: State Health and People’s Well-being Minister Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung said he would bring up the state of quarantine centres in Sabah at the Federal Health Ministry.

He admitted that the basic facilities and cleanliness of some of the quarantine centres in Sabah had failed to meet the required standards.

“These are very old federal buildings (the current quarantine centres in Sabah) and they are in need of repair. The State Government is in the process of resolving some of these issues.

“It is about time for the Federal Government to seriously look into the needs and well-being of their staff and trainee nurses (here in Sabah), in particular their accommodation,” said Poon, in a message he sent to his ministry media WhatsApp group yesterday.

Poon said he had been unhappy with the condition of some of the health facilities in Sabah since day one.

He disclosed that he had appealed to the Federal Government and the Ministry of Health to give equal treatment to Sabah.

Poon revealed that he had sent a WhatsApp message to the Minister of Health after he had read the news about the Federal Cabinet’s decision to place all returning Malaysian citizens in three star hotels for a 14-day quarantine, beginning April 3.

“I am still waiting for his response. I have since referred the same matter to other officers in his ministry. I will follow up with an official letter,” he added.

Recently, a video showing the poor condition of the quarantine centre in the Penampang had gone viral, catching the attention of netizens and was even shared by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on his Facebook page.