KUALA LUMPUR – Private hospitals have been administering Covid-19 vaccines to the public since June 7 after being roped in by the government to ramp up the national immunisation drive.
Like most private healthcare centres, Pusrawi Hospital in Jalan Tun Razak has its own doctors, nurses and administrative staff to operate its vaccination centre (PPV). It began serving as a jab site on June 28, with a capacity of 100 doses daily.
However, it now needs more manpower after the surge in Covid-19 cases, especially in the Klang Valley, saw the hospital instructed to boost its vaccination capacity to 600 a day.
Staff are left with no choice but to pool all their resources, work seven days a week, and ask family and friends to assist as volunteers.
“Honestly, it’s a really heavy workload for us because we have to use our staff for normal operations, and we are also a Covid-19 hospital. We are helping with test samples, and we have non-Covid-19 patients, too,” chief nursing officer Dr Sharifah Mohidin told The Vibes.
“Most of the volunteers are our family members, friends and neighbours.”
Orthopaedic and spinal surgeon Dr Sallehuddin Abdullah concurred that it is an “all hands on deck” situation.
“It is very strenuous for our human resources because we are using whatever manpower we have. On top of their regular duties, we are asking them to go above and beyond to be involved in the PPV operations.”
Despite their struggles, these frontliners continue to help the government manage the pandemic.
“What we want is understanding. We know the government is stretched and it doesn’t have the resources,” said Dr Sallehuddin.
We will help and support in any way we can. I don’t expect much help from the government, but what I want is understanding. I want people to open their eyes to see that we (private hospitals) are doing our best.”
Consultant ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon Dr Barkeh Hanim Jumaat urged Putrajaya to inject funds into private hospitals to help ease their manpower woes.
“As you can see, we are using our own infrastructure and staff to power the PPV. We are given a number of doses to administer each day.
“It would be good if we could get more support from the government in terms of infrastructure so as to provide a more conducive environment for staff working around the clock, as well as vaccines.
“At the moment, we are coping with what is given to us.”
As of July 5, more than 100 private hospitals were involved in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme under the guidance of ProtectHealth. – The Vibes, July 21, 2021
