THE temporary Covid-19 quarantine and low-risk treatment centre at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) will close today after treating 1,362 patients since April.

Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed this today in a WhatsApp message to The Malaysian Insight.

The park was used to house 600 hospital beds in end March to help the authorities manage possible influx of coronavirus cases.

It was then used as a quarantine and low-risk treatment centre.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba witnessed the discharge of the last patient from the centre on Friday.

The makeshift hospital received its first patient on April 12.

About 86% of the patients admitted there were foreigners.

On May 25, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that undocumented migrants who contract the coronavirus would be treated at the centre.

Meanwhile, Malaysians quarantined at MAEPS were then transferred to Sg Buloh Hospital.

This was reaffirmed by Noor Hisham on May 30 after an undocumented Bangladeshi man receiving treatment at the Sg Buloh Hospital tried to flee.

The ministry then transferred the man and 25 other undocumented migrants being treated at the hospital to MAEPS.

“Hopefully by doing so we can improve the security in MAEPS and make sure we provide good treatment for them,” Noor Hisham had said.

“This is our concern before we can use other hospitals and facilities for the illegal immigrants.”

With the closure of the temporary hospital at MAEPS, undocumented migrants infected with Covid-191 are now being housed at the immigration academy centre in Port Dickson. – July 15, 2020.