KUALA LUMPUR – The number of Covid-19 victims pronounced dead upon arrival at hospitals shows the disparities of medical facilities in different parts of the country, said a medical expert.
The country has already recorded an alarming 92 deaths in less than two weeks (between January 1 and 13), of which 13 cases, or more than 10%, reached hospital facilities too late.
Of the 13 people who died before reaching a medical facility, 10 were cases in Sabah, while Selangor – one of the states to be worst hit by the third wave of the pandemic – recorded three cases of those arriving dead at hospitals.
While it has been speculated that the majority of such deaths occurred among those on home quarantine, Dr Arvinder-Singh HS said it was more likely due to people coming into the hospitals at a very late stage of infections when their symptoms were very severe.
“It is either that or it involves people who do not come to the hospitals when they show milder symptoms,” he told The Vibes.
“They are the ones who try to get to the hospital but do not make it in time because of certain challenges.”
Arvinder explained that the reason why such deaths were more prevalent in Sabah was that the medical facilities there were not as accessible as those in West Malaysia.
“They have logistics and road problems. So, it may be very far for them (Sabahans) to get to a hospital.”
Arvinder added there were several foreigners among those who died before reaching hospitals because they lacked access to public healthcare or faced financial difficulties.
In late December, Arvinder told The Vibes that a public medical facility in the peninsula can be found every 15km in most districts, but the distance was several times the amount in Sabah and Sarawak.
“We cannot affirm that these people have died because of home quarantine, but the reason why they are brought in dead is perhaps more due to logistical reasons.”
However, Arvinder said it was very important for the Health Ministry to provide closure to the public and families of the victims.
“All we know from whatever is currently reported by the Health Ministry is that they are brought in dead (to hospitals without other explanation).”
In 2020, the death toll for Covid-19 reached 471, of which more than half (56.3%) died in Sabah. Selangor (10.6%) and Johor (7.6%) also shared a large portion of overall deaths, of which 80% were Malaysian citizens.
According to an analysis piece on local Covid-19 deaths in 2020 published on medical news site Code Blue, 36 deceased victims (8%) were brought in dead. The majority of them died in Sabah.
Malaysia saw an average of 1.62 daily deaths since the first recorded death on March 17, while the average number of days a patient was admitted before dying due was 9.17 days, excluding those who were diagnosed after death or were brought in dead.
Of the total 472 deaths last year, 313 (66.5%) comprised men and 158 (33.5%) of the deceased were women. The median age of those who died was 63 and the majority of deaths (71.2 %) occurred in the third wave of the pandemic in the country from October to December. – The Vibes, January 14, 2021
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