Health Ministry to study ways in tackling overcrowding at Penang hospital

GEORGE TOWN: The Ministry of Health will carry out a study on various short-term measures in an effort to reduce overcrowding and patient density at the Penang Hospital (HPP), said its Minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam.
He said among the steps to be taken would be the establishment of a Maternal and Child health services block due to begin construction in 2016.
"We are going to vacate the old maternity hospital in Jalan Residency and all treatment and services have been transferred to several places in the hospital.
"We intend to build a Maternal and Child hospital and the budget has been approved. Plans are underway and we expect the hospital to be completed within three to four years.
"This new hospital block will have 329 additional beds and we hope it will be fully operational by 2020," he said at a press conference after visiting Penang Hospital here today.
Dr Subramaniam said the hospital would also study possible ways of transferring outpatient treatment to another area for patients' convenience.
He said currently the hospital could cater to about 1,000 outpatients including 2,000 others accompanying patients which had given rise to overcrowding at the hospital. – Bernama