It took four days at Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) to convert Malaysia’s largest exhibition and convention centre into a temporary makeshift hospital to cater the Covid-19 patients in anticipation of a third wave of cases. The hospital is made as a precautionary measure in case if there is an increase in cases shortly. 

It was an incredible step taken by the Malaysian government by turning a convention centre into a temporary hospital within four days and achieving this during the Movement Control Order where roads, shops and businesses were shut and people were grounded at home is commendable.

MAEPS chief operating officer Norafizah Rahman said her team will remember this achievement for a long time.

“We are used to setting up events in these halls. From automotive shows to travel exhibitions to concerts, we have seen it all. But we never imagined that we would one day ‘build’ a hospital and that too within four days,”.

Officers and inspectors from the Public Works Department and Health Ministry also conducted rigorous tests to ensure the building had enough power supply, including standby generators. Items installed on the premises, including showerheads and towel hangers, had to be safe for patients as the entire objective of the makeshift hospital is o keep the patients safe.

The facility is fully air-conditioned and is equipped with a nurse call system, an emergency resuscitation area, a clinic, a pharmacy and x-ray facilities.

By Sunday night, Hall A was complete and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who visited MAEPS on Monday for inspection.

“ He was glad to see that MAEPS could be repurposed as a makeshift hospital when the country needed a facility to place Covid-19 patients as MAEPS was the brainchild of the Prime Minister when he was Agriculture and Agro-based Minister over a decade ago,” Norafizah said.