Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has affirmed that the country’s healthcare system is working to prepare to respond to the current prolonged hot weather.

Speaking a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on May 16, the official said that leaders of all State-level hospitals have been asked to stay vigilant to the extreme weather conditions.

She said that so far, Malaysia has reported 15 hospitalised cases and one death of hot weather. All the patients have been recovered, she said, adding that no drastic actions are needed but thorough preparations.

Earlier, speaking at a National Disaster Management Committee meeting, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Malaysia Ahmad Zahidi Hamidi said that the country has been ready against worse situation and is keeping a close eye on the weather developments.

The Government has given a number of urgent measures to mitigate impacts of heat, including seeding clouds, installing 101 wells to serve areas with difficult access to water, temporarily stopping outdoor activities at schools, and providing free drinking water at churches.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) acting director-general Abdul Rashid Bahri said that the hot weather, expected to last several months, is being monitored by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry. However, the heat wave sweeping the country has helped farmers improve their crop yields, but the long-term effect of the situation is yet to be known, he said.

He said FAMA will continue to help farmers by buying their produce if the market price is lower than the cost of production through the implementation of a price floor./.
VNA