KUCHING: A health laboratory complex will be built at Mile 11, Kuching-Serian Road soon.
Deputy Minister of Health II, Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang, said that preliminary works for the project had already been approved under the Fourth Rolling Plan of the 11th Malaysia Plan (RP4 RMK-11).
“This project proposal includes the Public Health Laboratory and the Food Safety and Quality Laboratory.
“The Public Health Laboratory will include an Infectious Disease Laboratory that can be used for Covid-19 detection and verification,” he said in a written reply to Betong MP Robert Lawson Chuat in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Earlier, Robert asked the Ministry of Health (MoH) whether it planned to establish a special lab to diagnose infectious diseases such as Covid-19 in the state.
Aaron also revealed that the Special Molecular Lab for Covid-19 detection and verification had begun operating at five hospitals in the state, namely Sarawak General Hospital, Sibu Hospital, Bintulu Hospital, Miri Hospital and Sarawak Heart Centre.
He said Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Borneo Medical Centre also conducted Covid-19 detection and verification tests.
“This brings the total Covid-19 test capacity for the state of Sarawak to 2,226 tests per day.
“As of Aug 6, a total of 91,156 Covid-19 tests has been conducted in Sarawak,” he added.
