KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Health Department is doing its best in handling Covid-19 cases in the state.
State Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said within a day after a person tested positive, the department would immediately contact and bring them to the hospital or a low-risk treatment centre.
"The department has also worked with the logistics unit of Sabah Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee to provide 24-hour service to arrange transportation for identified patients.
"Patients who lodged complaints on the delay are likely isolated cases which could be due to inaccurate addresses or uncontactable phone numbers.
"We are sorry for those who experienced the delay, but it is not intentional," he said in a virtual press conference in response to questions that some patients had to wait at home for days before being picked up to be sent to hospitals or treatment centres.
On complaints by patients who had to wait for days at the emergency department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here before getting admitted, Masidi said that was due to shortage of beds.
The hospital is a referral centre for Covid-19 cases that come with high-risk complications.
"The Covid-19 bed occupancy rate for the hospital has been between 89 and 92 per cent for the past five days.
"The department will continue to make proper monitoring on bed usage and capacity at the treatment centres by adding more wards and staff according to the current situation."