KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 – Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) has increased Covid-19 beds to deal with rising infections at the public teaching hospital in the Klang Valley.
In an internal memo to all staff last January 5, UMMC clinical deputy director (medical) Dr Mohmmad Salleh Yahya wrote that the hospital management has agreed to immediately add four Covid-19 beds to four existing ones in Ward 11UA (general medicine/ medical admission unit).
“Covid-19 patients in categories 1 and 2 will be admitted to the involved primary ward, whereas [those in] categories 3, 4, and 5 will be admitted to Medical Ward ID 4U or Ward 11UA,” said the memo, as sighted by CodeBlue.
Categories 3 to 5 are moderate to severe Covid-19.
With the redesignation of four extra beds in the 26-bed Ward 11UA as Covid beds from their original purpose for the general medicine/ medical admission unit, UMMC now has a total of 15 Covid beds: eight in Ward 11UA, five in Medical Ward ID 4U, and two in the intensive care unit (ICU).
“For your information, Covid-19 patients in Ward 11UA are under the responsibility of specialists at the general medicine/ medical admission unit. If there is no admission of Covid-19 patients, those beds can be used for normal patient admission,” said Dr Mohmmad Salleh.
“In line with this new setting, all staff and members of the general public are absolutely prohibited from visiting these Covid-19 wards or treatment service facilities, except for health care workers and other approved staff. At the same time, all staff are requested to continue vigilance towards any possibility of case infectivity and need to follow the set SOP.”
When contacted, the UMMC corporate office explained that the memo was meant for internal consumption to ensure transparency and to keep staff updated on the current situation, but did not specify how many Covid-19 infections have been reported recently in the university hospital.
“It was not meant to cause any unnecessary worry among the public. We are pleased to share that, as of now, all Covid-19 cases within our organisation are under control,” said UMMC’s corporate office in a statement to CodeBlue last Monday.
“Furthermore, we want to assure you that our services remain unaffected. We have implemented comprehensive protocols and preventive measures to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees, ensuring continuity in our operations.”
According to the KKMNow website, Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions from Covid, and Covid-19 deaths have been declining in Malaysia, including in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, since about the last week of December.
Covid-19 cases in neighbouring Singapore have also been dropping, including a sharp fall in hospital and ICU admissions in the past week as of January 4.
Globally, the number of Covid-19 cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) similarly dropped in the week ending December 31, with a decrease of 71,223 cases compared to the previous seven days. Reported Covid-19 infections around the world have been declining in the last two weeks of December.
