Page 119 - FIGHT AGAINST UNCERTAINTY 5 FEB 2021

As a preparatory measure, MOH Medical Development
Division managed to secure funds for central
procurement of body bags for the handling of dead
bodies with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Adequate supply of body bags is crucial as every
COVID-19 death requires two layers of body bags as a
containment measure. This need is emphasized if deaths
suddenly occur in large numbers. Procurement planning
was done based on local usage and body bags were
purchased centrally in June 2020 and distributed to
designated MOH hospitals. In October 2020, a total sum
of RM1.2m was secured for the planning of procurement
of over 10,000 body bags specifically for Sabah in
response to the third wave of the pandemic.

As a further step in managing body storage capacity
in hospital mortuaries, mobile body freezers were used
as alternative storage areas. In June 2020, one unit of
20-body capacity mobile freezer costing RM150,000 was
successfully procured and placed in Hospital Sultanah
Aminah, Johor Bahru. The National Forensic Medicine
Institute of Hospital Kuala Lumpur also managed to
obtain 2 units of 24-body capacity mobile freezers on
lease for 6 months costing RM96,000 in total.

In managing the third wave of the pandemic which
had hit hardest on the East Coast of Sabah, plans for
upgrading the Hospital Tawau postmortem suite into a
negative pressure facility has been put in place. As most
crisis presents opportunities, this development does not
just help in the current crisis response management,
but it also offers enhanced safety and infection control
measures for the future.

1. National Forensic Medicine Institute of HKL
1
HCW handling a COVID-19 death case
2 & 3. Setting up of mobile body freezer in Hospital Sultanah
2 3 Aminah, Johor Bahru and National Forensic Medicine
Institute of Hospital Kuala Lumpur
105