ALOR STAR – Chronically ill patients in Kedah might not have the chance to even be admitted to the state’s intensive care units (ICUs) amid the Covid-19 surge here.
State Local Government and Healthcare Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Hayati Othman said for now some beds in Kedah’s ICUs have yet to be taken up, but the state anticipates a rise in severe Covid-19 cases, so it is only a matter of time before the beds are filled.
He told journalists here that doctors may have to make hard decisions on which patient to admit to ICUs when wards are almost full.
“The onus on the assessments have to come from qualified and experienced doctors and I can only pray that they are not forced into such positions any time soon.”
He said that chronic patients could be asked to seek treatment in private hospitals.
Hayati added that despite earlier warnings, the residents here could not react fast enough to ward off Covid-19 infections, resulting in Kedah being the top state in the northern region in terms of fresh cases and deaths.
He said the state must prepare for fully occupied ICUs.
Today, Kedah logged another 417 cases, a slight dip from yesterday’s record-high of 445.
Hayati said hospitals are not designed solely for Covid-19 patients, as there are other chronic illnesses that require constant care, such as heart and diabetic patients.
However, due to the spike in cases related to the virus, public health authorities have to make sacrifices to allocate more beds for Covid-19 patients, he added.
State Health Director Dr Mohd Fkri Ujang said more than 40 Covid-19 patients are now warded at ICUs in Kedah, of whom 20 are intubated.
Most of them are aged 50 and above, he added.
In another development, Kota Setar deputy district police chief Mohd Redzuan Salleh said a budget hotel in Taman Anggerik was fined RM10,000 for violating standing operating procedures (SOPs) during the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) period here. – The Vibes, May 20, 2021
