KUALA TERENGGANU: The Health Ministry will study the need to provide influenza vaccination to the public, especially for those at risk, says its minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
However, she said as the number of influenza cases in the country is currently under control, in the initial stage the vaccine would only be given to the ministry’s frontline workers.
In addition, she said the public health facilities available nationwide should be able to accommodate more patients if there is a surge in the number of cases.
“Based on the ministry’s data, for the 30th epidemiological week this year, the consultation rate for influenza-like illness at health clinics is 6.3%, a drop from the 6.4% in the previous week.
“The hospital admission rate is 7.1%, also a slight decrease. There are cases but as at last week the number dropped and the situation is under control,” she said after officiating the reopening of the Manir Health Clinic here yesterday, Bernama reported.
In another development, Dr Zaliha said Hospital Dungun, which was earlier classified as a sick project, was 99% complete and expected to be operational next year.
She said the construction project, which started in February 2016 after it was approved at a cost of RM125mil, should have been completed in March 2022.
However, following the movement control order and problems with contractors, the project was abandoned and took quite some time for work to resume.
When completed, Hospital Dungun will become the third specialist hospital in Terengganu after Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah and Hospital Kemaman.
The 110-bed hospital will have speciality services such as paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesiology, orthopaedics, psychiatry, dentistry and pathology.
