Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Ceiling of govt clinic caves in

NST: PUTRAJAYA: Barely days after a fire broke out at the Putrajaya Hospital here, the ceiling of a government clinic nearby collapsed after a thunderstorm yesterday.
Operations at the clinic in Presint 9 here had to be stopped temporarily after the 5.30pm incident when 20 ceiling boards fell on a walkway.
It is believed that there was a leakage and the boards could not hold the weight of the rain water that collected there.
When it happened, there were a few patients who were milling around waiting for treatment while some were already in the treatment room.
A clinic spokesman, who declined to be named, said no injuries were reported but admitted the incident had caused quite a stir.
"The staff and patients in the building panicked and ran out. Thankfully, no one was injured.
"Patients seeking treatment were later moved to the lobby," she said.
Immediately after the incident, the clinic fell into darkness as the power supply was cut to avoid unwarranted incidents.
A team of seven men from the Fire and Rescue Department arrived at the scene 10 minutes later to carry out checks.
When reporters arrived at the clinic, about 10 staff members were clearing the ceiling debris. Members of the public were barred from entering the premises.
The spokesman said clinic operations would only resume after approval from the Public Works Department. "We are still not sure if we can open or not," she said.
The clinic has been operating since 1999 and sees to more than 1,000 patients daily.

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