KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — The supply and availability of some personal protective equipment (PPE) at hospitals in Sabah for the Covid-19 was as low as just three days’ worth of N95 masks in Hospital Tawau or even one day’s worth of plastic aprons at Hospital Lahad Datu, the latest data from the Health Ministry has shown.

In the Health Ministry’s statistics released yesterday and as of October 13, however, the overall picture of supply levels of PPE in terms of days for 24 hospitals in Sabah appear positive, with 17 types of PPE in the green category while only one type was in the yellow category.

The green category means that supply levels can last for more than 30 days, with the highest stock levels being boot covers at 373 days or more than a year, followed by jumpsuit or protective coverall at 143 days, nitrile glove size S at 100 days.

The rest of the PPE for the 24 Sabah hospitals were at supply levels of less than 100 days, including shoe cover at 90 days or around three months, non-sterile latex examination glove size L at 89 days, face shield at 81 days, three-ply mask (tie) at 79 days, isolation gown at 76 days, nitrile glove size M at 72 days, reusable goggle at 71 days, head cover at 64 days and N95 masks at 61 days.

Only non-sterile latex examination gloves at size M were in the yellow category or the category of supply levels between 15 to 30 days, with this particular PPE stock level for the 24 hospitals in Sabah at 20 days.

Zooming in

When examined more closely according to nine specialist hospitals in Sabah, however, the level of PPE supply as of October 11 can vary wildly, from as high as 2,113 days of jumpsuit supply at Hospital Queen Elizabeth in state capital Kota Kinabalu, to as low as one day’s worth of plastic aprons at Hospital Lahad Datu.

The nine specialist hospitals listed by the Health Ministry are Hospital Queen Elizabeth, Hospital Queen Elizabeth 2, Hospital Tawau, Hospital Duchess of Kent, Hospital Keningau, Hospital Lahad Datu, Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Sabah, Hospital Kunak, and Hospital Semporna.

The supply level of eight types of PPE at the nine hospitals as of October 11 was listed, including N95 face masks which at the state level was at 61 days.

But when listed according to the nine hospitals, N95 face masks’ supply levels varied from as low as three days for Hospital Tawau, to 14 days or two weeks for Hospital Queen Elizabeth 2, 18 days for Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Sabah, and to 24 days for Hospital Semporna, 28 days for Hospital Queen Elizabeth to as high as 402 days at Hospital Keningau.

For plastic apron supply levels, they ranged from as low as one day in Hospital Lahad Datu to 99 days at Hospital Keningau and 142 days at Hospital Kunak.

For isolation gown supply levels, it ranged from as low as 11 days at Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Sabah, 12 days at Hospital Queen Elizabeth to as high as 528 days at Hospital Kunak.

Jumpsuit supply levels varied from as low as 10 days at Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Sabah to 2,113 days at Hospital Queen Elizabeth, the Health Ministry data as of October 11 showed.

Hospital equipment levels for Covid-19 patients

In the Health Ministry’s data as of October 11, the availability of hospital equipment or facilities in Sabah for Covid-19 patients or those under quarantine such as hospital beds were listed.

When beds for patients or those under quarantine were looked at as a whole, the usage of the 4,988 beds available in Sabah for was at healthy levels or green category of just 32 per cent.

But when the 4,988 beds were broken down into two categories, the details show that the level of usage of the 978 hospital beds at the eight Covid-19 hospitals in Sabah was at 71 per cent or in the red category, while the usage of the 4,010 beds at Sabah’s 17 quarantine centres or low-risk treatment centres otherwise known as hospital extension centres were at just 22 per cent or in the green category.

As for the 108 beds available in intensive care units for Covid-19 patients in Sabah, usage levels were at 58 per cent or in the yellow category.

As for the 180 ventilators available in these health facilities in Sabah, the level of usage was in the green category at 38 per cent — covering usage by both Covid-19 patients and non-Covid-19 patients.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham speaks during a Covid-19 press conference at the Ministry of Health October 1, 2020. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

What is being done

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday said that efforts have been made to increase the bed capacity for Sabah hospitals, as well as increasing the number of ventilators at ICUs.

Dr Noor Hisham yesterday also said the level of PPE supply at Sabah was at sustainable levels as placed by federal agencies, the Health Ministry and the Sabah state health department, adding that the Health Ministry will ensure distribution to those who need as soon as possible.

Noting that there are 19 types of PPE with average stock levels nationwide at between two to three months, Dr Noor Hisham yesterday said that areas with shortages will be detected early and additional stock would be sent quickly.

"At the same time, federal approval was received on October 2, 2020 for the application of emergency procurement of PPE for Sabah in view of the increasing seriousness of the situation there,” he said.