Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar made an official visit to the state health department today.
The session began with a visit to a 138-year-old heritage building built in 1884 at Batu Gajah Hospital.
This building was the hospital’s administrative building after the British colonisation era.
The Health Ministry in a statement informed that the building was repaired and refurbished to be made into a Heritage Museum in 2021.
It is to house the various artifacts of medical equipment used at health facilities.
Meanwhile, downstairs will house the Nursing Unit, Infection Control Unit and Quality Unit.
“The Health Minister also visited the long Covid and rehabilitation ward of Batu Gajah Hospital which was the first to be established in Perak under the Ipoh Hospital Cluster.
“Originally, this was a rehab wad which had been operating since 2012.
“However, in 2021 when the COVID-19 cases rose, this had also been used as additional Covid ward with a capacity of 22 beds.”
In January 2022, in collaboration with the state health department and Ipoh Cluster, this ward was made into a long Covid and rehabilitation ward with a capacity of 16 beds.
This initiative is to help patients with long Covid who need rehabilitative treatment to return to their normal lives.
The Health Minister also visited the Ipoh Public Health Laboratory (Makmal Kesihatan Awam Ipoh) in which one of the cabins functions as a Bioinformatics and Nucleic Acids Sequencing Lab.
This facility is used to conduct screening for Variants of Concern (VOC) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for states in the northern zone.
He later visited the Women, Children and Cardiology Complex (KWKK) of Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) Ipoh.
“The 10-storey KWKK houses the services for obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and cardiology.
“The building was built with a cost of RM237 million and occupied in December 2019 with 404 beds.”
The minister also visited the Emergency and Trauma Department of HRPB.
Rosli Mansor
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