Storms cause maternity wards to close
KULAI: Continuous thunderstorms caused four maternity wards at Hospital Temenggung Seri Maharaja Tun Ibrahim here to be closed after roof tiles were broken and rain poured directly onto the exposed ceilings in Kulai on Monday.
The storm, which started at about 5.30pm and lasted about an hour, also caused the ceilings to break.
Johor Health and Environment, Education and Information committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat, who visited the hospital yesterday, said one maternity ward can be used while the four need to be closed to assess the damage and repair works.
Forty-three patients, including five new-borns, were evacuated and transferred from the affected wards.
The 95-bedded hospital had 85 in-patients when the incident happened. Ayub said operations at the hospital were ongoing as normal.
The Ministry of Health will allocate RM400,000 for repair works at the maternity wards and another RM100,000 for the Kulai Besar clinic centre.
Kulai hospital is located on a small hilltop and the thunderstorm had also caused some trees to fall inside the hospital compound.
Some 15 vehicles were also damaged by uprooted trees in Jalan Ayer Hitam during the storm.
Kulai district police chief Supt Razak Md Said said there were no reports of casualties.