The Health Ministry will start work to strengthen the structure of the ceiling that collapsed and others that may be at risk at the Serdang Hospital, starting tomorrow.

Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam said the immediate repairs are only a short-term remedy while a comprehensive inspection would be carried out on the structure soon.

“We made the decision after meeting the hospital management, Health Ministry, Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) and the consortium that was responsible for building the hospital,” he told reporters after visiting the hospital in Serdang today.

Three similar incidents had occurred at the hospital in the past three years, with the last one on Sept 30, where some ceiling slabs collapsed at the maternity ward.

Subramaniam said the overall inspection would involve the collapsed area, air-conditioning system, structure and design.

“We will continue to monitor the situation to avoid a similar incident,” he said.

- Bernama