PASIR GUDANG, Feb 18 — Two private centres providing quarantine and treatment services for low-risk Covid-19 patients will be opening in Johor next month, further reducing the burden on public hospitals.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad today said the two private centres are in the final process of obtaining approval from the federal government and is confident they will be operational by March.
“The private Covid-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centres involves a hotel in Iskandar Puteri, while another is a staff hostel in the Kota Tinggi area. These two are the first private centres of its kind in Johor.
“The hotel can accommodate 250 Covid-19 patients, while the staff hostel can accommodate more than 250 patients,” he told reporters after inspecting the Covid-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre at the Pasir Gudang City Council Indoor Stadium here.
Hasni added that the private centres can specifically accommodates non-citizen patients at a cost to be borne by the employer or the patient himself, including undocumented immigrants who are found to be positive for Covid-19.
Present were Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan, Johor Health director Datuk Dr Aman Rabu and Johor Covid-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre operations commander Mohd Fathi Zaki Mohd Zakaria.
The Covid-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre at the Pasir Gudang City Council Indoor Stadium is the first in Johor to operate on February 10 and is able to accommodate 1,200 patients from all over the state involving all ages starting from five years and above.
Hasni said the Pasir Gudang quarantine centre has treated a total of 335 patients, with 201 men and 134 women.
“Of the figure, four patients have been referred to hospital for further treatment, 54 patients are allowed to return while 277 patients are still quarantined here.
“Those who are placed in the centre are in the level one and two category. So far the feedback received from patients who have been allowed to return home is satisfactory,” said Hasni.
