KUALA LUMPUR, August 16 — Government hospitals have decanted more than 1,592 non-Covid patients to various private hospitals in the Klang Valley since August 10 in a bid to clear wards for coronavirus cases, said the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM).
APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said the secretary-general of the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Malaysian Armed Forces Health Corps, the Health deputy director-general (public health) and APHM worked the entire process of decanting seamlessly.
All patients received appropriate treatment at the private hospitals according to the cost pre-determined by MOH, with additional discounts provided by all private hospitals as a service to the nation, he said.
“Currently the focus of decanting will be directed to the state of Johor,” Dr Kuljit said in a statement today.
“All major private hospitals in Johor Bahru and Nusajaya are prepared to receive decanted patients from the government hospitals as the numbers of Covid-19 patients have now increased in that state. The successful process in the Klang Valley will be extended to the state of Johor.
“Some private hospitals in the Klang Valley are beginning to have lesser private Covid-19 patients in the past week but the number of patients on respiratory support in the ICUs still remain high. The prospect of admitting more Covid-19 patients in Categories Four and Five is still a challenge in most private hospitals as many of the sick patients are still not recovering fast enough in the limited number of ICUs.”
Dr Kuljit said Covid-19 vaccination likely led to the slight decrease in the admission of Covid-19 patients in both public and private hospitals.
“We hope more will get themselves vaccinated in the next few months, inclusive those outside Klang Valley. However, all private hospitals will stay vigilant as the pandemic is still not certain to be over as for now and the possibility of variants are still to be watched closely.”
