THE Health Department had admitted that eight out of 10 units of ventilators sent to Sarawak last week were all faulty.

Bukit Assek assemblyman Irene Chang raised the issue after five units sent to the Sibu hospital and three to the Bintulu hospital failed to function completely, while the two sent to the Sarikei hospital had impaired functions.

The ventilators arrived last Tuesday.

Chang said the two units sent to the Sarikei hospital have their screens “freezing up and need to be restarted constantly”.

State health director Dr Chin Zin Hing today confirmed that his department had “submitted a technical report to the Health Ministry for their action”.

Dr Chin told reporters this at the press conference of Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah’s daily Covid-19 briefing this afternoon.

However, even though the issue has yet to be addressed, Dr Chin said 13 more units are due to arrive in Sarawak on Friday for other hospitals.

Chang, a DAP lawmaker also said the ventilators were of outdated models, manufactured in 2004 which she said does not come with a built-in air compressor. 

The ventilators, therefore, had to be connected to the hospital’s wall-mounted compressors to function. – April 20, 2021.