PUTRAJAYA’S plan to buy an additional 500 negative pressure ambulances has been questioned by Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

According to a report in Free Malaysia Today, the former health minister said it appeared that the government had got its priorities wrong with the decision.

A negative pressure ambulance is one that is equipped with special enhancements to safely treat and transport patients with infectious diseases.

The Kuala Selangor MP said Putrajaya should instead invest in more negative pressure wards in hospitals.

“As the number of deaths, including those brought in dead, is still high, the government should focus on ensuring that there are more negative pressure rooms or invest in ramping up the FTTIS as well as vaccination,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

FTTIS stands for find, test, trace, isolate and support, a system developed by the World Health Organization.

Dzulkefly noted that purchasing more ambulances did not reflect a proper understanding of the situation at ground zero or what was needed.

He said health workers transporting Covid-19 patients were already vaccinated and in personal protective equipment.

Two days ago, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said the ministry will begin procuring more negative pressure ambulances to ferry Covid-19 patients to treatment centres. 

He said negative pressure ambulances were important, especially in locations with a high number of Covid-19 cases. 

“We will begin with the tender for 500 units of this type of ambulance and for other ambulances, we will use the leasing system according to zones.

“This is so that logistic issues concerning Covid-19 patients can be resolved,” he was quoted as saying in news reports. – June 21, 2021.