Page 156 - MALAYSIA HEALTH SECTOR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD

Establishment of the Likas Sampling Centre

In an effort to expand the COVID-19 screening capacity in Kota Kinabalu,
MOH Malaysia had also established the Likas Sampling Centre (LSC) .
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Located at Gelanggang Boling Padang Likas and managed by 30 staff
consisting of medical officers, assistant medical officers, dental officers,
assistant environmental health officers, nurses, and NGO volunteers, the
LSC offered comprehensive services in the handling of PUS and recovered
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COVID-19 patients . Their services included the sampling of RT-PCR, RTK-
Ag, and rapid test kit-Antibody, issuing HSO and Release Orders for close
contacts, as well as arranging follow-up appointments for recovered COVID-
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19 patients .

Figure 7.6: Likas Sampling Centre (LSC)
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(Source: Facebook Director-General of Health Malaysia )

Mobilisation of health and medical support teams to Sabah

Following the expansion of the COVID-19 screening in Sabah, there was an
increase in the laboratory burden to process samples, resulting in an
increased need for an additional workforce to handle the testing processes.
The mobilisation of support teams within Sabah, as well as from Sarawak,
Labuan, and Peninsular Malaysia, had been carried out in stages since the
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beginning of the surge of cases in September . On 29th September 2020, a
total of 10 Microbiology Science Officers and 5 MLTs were sent to Tawau
Hospital, Lahad Datu Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SWACH, and the
Kota Kinabalu Public Health Laboratory, to assist in the process of COVID-
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19 screening . Since then, with the support from the Royal Malaysian Air
120 LABORATORY RESPONSES TO THE THIRD COVID-19 WAVE IN MALAYSIA

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