Radiation screening for incoming passengers at KKIA from today

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KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abd Rashid Shirlin said the authority would carry out radiation screening on incoming passengers at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here, starting today at 6am.

She said the exercise would be carried out by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (LPAM), the authority responsible for implementing the task.

“(We) contacted the LPAM today and they notified us that it would conduct the radiation screening on passengers at the KKIA, starting March 19 (today), at 6am,” said Rosnah yesterday.

“The LPAM will conduct the decontamination procedure if any of the passengers are found with radiation, and any passenger detected with radiation symptom will be referred to hospital.”

Rosnah, who is Papar member of parliament, said medical specialists at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital would be coming up with guidance in treating patients exposed with nuclear radiation.

The hospitals around Kota Kinabalu have been directed to put their preparations in place to receive any patients for radiation treatment.

Two days ago, Malaysia Airport Berhad manager here, Kamaruzzaman Razali, said all incoming passengers and their baggage from Japan would be screened for any symptoms of radiation upon arrival at the KKIA.

“We received a directive from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to carry out the screening. The operation is also carried out by them,” he said.

He said however the operation was strictly for passengers on board flights from Japan.