KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has established the National Rapid Response Task Force to mobilise healthcare workers to states with spike in Covid-19 cases.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this was to ensure frontline health workers do not suffer burnout from the increased workload.
He said through the task force, the ministry had mobilised 223 staff to Penang, 156 to Kedah, and 102 to Sabah following the surge in cases in those states.
"When we increase the capacity (of hospitals) whether by adding more modular intensive care unit (ICU) beds or set up a field hospital, it would add on to the workload (of healthcare workers), so I have directed the formation of the National Rapid Response Task Force.
"These healthcare personnel will be mobilised to states that see a spike in cases to ensure that staff don not suffer burnout from the added responsibilities," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Khairy was responding to a question from Teo Nie Ching (PH-Kulai), who had asked about the ministry's measures to address manpower issues to handle additional Covid-19 beds in hospitals.
He said the ministry had spent RM593 million in the past two years to acquire additional medical equipment for Covid-19 treatment.
These include additional ICU beds, ventilators, containers to store bodies, and others, said Khairy.
"This does not include contributions from within and outside the country, which are worth RM148 million."