The high number of Covid-19 deaths on a daily basis is draining the health authorities’ forensic department, said a forensic expert.
Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi told The Malaysian Insight that they were lacking equipment especially when they are tasked in processing every Covid-19 death.
At the moment only Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) has a fully equipped chamber room with specialised tools to conduct detailed autopsies on Covid-19 cases which are high risk, said Dr Ahmad Hafizam who is attached to HKL’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine (IPFN).
HKL is also one of three public hospitals nationwide equipped with Level 3 biosecurity laboratory facilities (BSL-3) that have special ventilation systems.
Apart from HKL, only two other hospitals are equipped with such post-mortem rooms - Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, Kedah and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
IPFN currently has 60 staff including forensic physicians, medical officers, forensic scientists, nurses and administrative staff.
Malaysia recorded 107 deaths yesterday, bringing the overall tally of fatalities to 5,108. – June 30, 2021.
A health worker in personal protective equipment puts on gloves at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department officers move the body of a person who died from coronavirus disease at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur mortuary. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.A health worker disinfects a coffin at the morgue of Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, June 30, 2021, June 30, 2021.Health workers transfer the body of a patient who died of Covid-19 onto a trolley at the morgue of Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, June 30, 2021.Health workers set up the air-purifying respirator (PAPR) system preparatory to performing an autopsy on a Covid-19 patient at Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.Forensic personnel perform an autopsy on a Covid-19 patient who was dead on arrival, at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department perform 'tayammum', the Islamic act of cleaning a corpse, on a person who died of coronavirus disease, at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur mortuary. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.A health worker collects the body of an identified patient in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua ZulkefliHealth workers prepare the coffin containing a Covid-19 victim at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur mortuary. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.Health workers seal the coffin bearing a Covid-19 victim at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur mortuary. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department personnel load the coffin of a person who died of coronavirus into a hearse at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur mortuary. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, June 30, 2021.A coffin is wheeled into the morgue of Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, June 30, 2021.Health workers prepare the body of a patient who died of Covid-19, at the morgue of Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, June 30, 2021.A relative waits inside a morgue while health workers prepare the body of a patient who died of Covid-19, at Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, June 30, 2021.Religious department personnel pray at the morgue of Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, June 30, 2021.A funeral worker waits outside a van carrying a body of a person who died of Covid-19, at a morgue of Hospital Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, June 30, 2021.
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