KUALA LUMPUR – The intensive care unit (ICU) bed usage in the Klang Valley has hit a whopping 113%, while other parts of the country on average is at 91%.
The Health Ministry shared these alarming figures today, with Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Selangor being the top three states in terms of ICU usage.
Hospitals that are struggling to keep up in the central region are Kajang Hospital (317%), Banting Hospital (200%), Serdang Hospital (172%), Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang (117%), Ampang Hospital (113%) and Sg Buloh Hospital (111%).
Meanwhile, three hospitals – Kuala Lumpur Hospital (98%), University Malaya Medical Centre (94%) and Shah Alam Hospital (92%) – are nearing full capacity. This leaves only Putrajaya Hospital (88%), Tuanku Mizan Military Hospital (86%) and Selayang Hospital (73%).
Kajang Hospital has only eight ICU beds, of which six are designated for Covid-19 patients. However, it currently has a total of 19 such patients.
The ministry said to meet the demand for ICU beds, hospitals have to repurpose other areas to be used as temporary ICU wards with certain equipment.
“However, this still reduces the chances of non-Covid-19 patients getting the critical treatment they need.
“At Sg Buloh Hospital, for example, part of the Emergency Department is being used to provide critical and ICU treatment.
“The national healthcare system is under enormous pressure and needs the public’s help to break the chain of infection.”
The Vibes had reported a Health Department official as saying that public hospitals struggling to cope with the steady stream of Covid-19 patients are not just dogged by equipment shortages, but also the lack of qualified staff to handle a crisis of this magnitude.
“If you talk about staffing, we mean 24/7 care for each bed. Our nurses run on three shifts, and you also need to allow them rest,” said the official, who declined to be named.
“One bed requires a minimum of five nurses – one for the morning shift, one for afternoon and another for night. We also need one for post-night, and one more to cover the nurses’ weekly leave entitlement.
“If we want to open another 20 beds, we are talking about 100 nurses to run the proper nursing care for patients.
“It is not just about bed availability, but also about human resources and equipment.” – The Vibes, May 22, 2021
