KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Matters related to the government’s readiness to face the third wave of Covid-19, especially in Sabah through Budget 2021 were among the main topics raised by a member of Parliament from the state in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Ahmad Hassan (Warisan-Papar) wanted to know, among other things, the methods of improvement to create a collaboration between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in handling the pandemic crisis in each hospital in Sabah that manages Covid-19 patients.
“What is the total special allocation for each public hospital in Sabah for the supplies of reagents, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfectants, and screening zone facilities and thermometers.
“From the RM150 million allocation for Nadma, how much of the total allocation is reserved to provide flood victim facilities and a special Covid-19 quarantine centre in Sabah.
“What is the long-term preparation drawn up by Nadma to create a fast and reliable emergency assistant for natural disaster victims in Sabah,” he said during the debate session on the Supply Bill 2021 here today.
In Budget 2021 tabled last Friday, an additional RM1 billion is allocated to MOH next year for the fight against Covid-19 under the public health services sector including RM150 million will be allocated to the Nadma to coordinate measures to combat the pandemic.
The government will provide a RM500 one-off payment that will benefit some 100,000 MOH frontliners as a mark of appreciation for their services.
The grant was in addition to their monthly RM600 Covid-19 Special Allowance given since March and will continue until the pandemic threat is successfully overcome.
On the special allowance, Ahmad also urged the government to consider restructuring the allowance and fine-tuning all related matters by taking into account the workload which varies according to the infection zone.
Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 852 new Covid-19 positive cases with 61.5 per cent or 524 cases were from Sabah. — Bernama
