KUALA LUMPUR – The usage of critical and intensive care unit beds to treat Covid-19 patients in the Klang Valley has reached 90% as of this morning, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
Based on reports sent to the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC), he said six hospitals with the facility were found to have exceeded the alert threshold of bed utilisation at more than 70% capacity.
He said they are Sg Buloh Hospital, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Ampang Hospital, Serdang Hospital, Selayang Hospital and Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang, with some approaching 100% capacity.
“The Universiti Malaya Medical Centre reported the use of its critical and intensive care unit beds for Covid-19 patients at more than 50%,” he said in a Facebook post today.
As such, Dr Noor Hisham said elective surgeries and procedures in hospitals across the Klang Valley will be reduced or postponed to enable more hospital beds to be reserved for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
“This will also enable medical personnel to be mobilised to more critical places for the care of Covid-19 patients.
“The Health Ministry will also continue to work with private hospitals, teaching staff or universities in the Klang Valley to increase the capacity of critical beds,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said the collaboration included outsourcing non-virus patients, with certain cases and procedures for treatment at private hospitals with the cost to be borne by the government at an agreed charge.
In the meantime, he said, Sg Buloh Hospital, which is fully operational as a Covid-19 hospital, will increase the capacity of critical treatment beds in phases to meet increasing needs.
The Health Ministry has made the procurement for medical equipment, such as ventilators, since last year to enable the hospital to increase the capacity of critical treatment beds when the need arises, he added. – Bernama, May 2, 2021
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