JOHOR BAHRU: All the 12 government hospitals in Johor have been operating as Covid-19 hybrid hospitals by providing treatment not only to those affected by the pandemic, but also the non-Covid-19 patients since last April 1.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said as of yesterday, a total of 49 patients were in intensive care unit (ICU) treatment at six specialist hospitals.
“Of the total, 39 of them need respiratory assistance,” he said in a statement today.
On the usage of ICU beds for Covid-19 patients, he said, it was 114 percent, which exceeded the 43 beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients.
The constraint to having more Covid-19 ICU beds is shortage of human resources and also because of the high number of critically ill non-Covid-19 patients who also need intensive care, he added.
He said the 12 government hospitals operating as Covid-19 hybrid hospitals are operating according to normal hours, but the number of appointments at specialist clinics has been reduced to 50 to 60 percent.
Elective surgery is also not conducted except for cancer-related elective surgery that has been in waiting since 2020, he added. — Bernama
