Order more beds, KJ tells Penang private hospitals

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said 87% of beds in private hospitals in Penang have already been occupied while their ICUs were operating at 117% capacity. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

In asking private hospitals in Penang to provide more beds for Covid-19 patients, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin reminded them that the government had the authority to requisition their facilities.

In a joint press conference with Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow today, he said the situation in the state was becoming of concern with the rise in Covid-19 infections.

While attention will be paid to the number of hospital admissions as well as the usage of intensive care units (ICUs) and deaths, he said there was also a need for private hospitals to increase their bed capacity for Covid-19 and normal patients.

He said 87% of Covid-19 beds in private hospitals had already been occupied while their ICUs were operating at 117% capacity.

“The private hospitals have agreed to add 300 beds, but we will ask for 1,000 more beds to be made available in private hospitals, especially for Covid-19 patients.

“I want to inform private hospitals that the health ministry has the power to requisition these facilities if they’re still not forthcoming about their capacity.

“But I don’t want it to come to a point where we’ve to requisition them.

“We still want to talk to them to provide this extra capacity,” he said, adding that there were quite a few people in Penang who could afford to be warded in private hospitals.

Describing the next two to three weeks as critical for the state, Khairy said the capacity of low-risk quarantine and treatment centres (PKRC) would also be increased to take in more patients.

He encouraged Category 1 and 2 Covid-19 cases to be quarantined at these centres to ensure they can be better monitored. This was particularly so for those who are high-risk and whose homes are not conducive for home quarantine.

He also said general practitioners (GPs) would be roped in to help out in Covid-19 assessment centres (CACs), acknowledging that some payments will have to be made to them.

With these GPs coming on board, he said each one would be able to monitor 10 to 15 patients under home quarantine so as to prevent a high number of brought-in-dead cases.

The ministry will also be sending 200 additional frontliners to help the state manage the spike in cases.

It is also considering setting up a field hospital near Penang Hospital.

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Order more beds, KJ tells Penang private hospitals

The health minister says he will however talk to the private hospitals first so that his ministry does not need to requisition these extra facilities.