PETALING JAYA: A new approach is necessary to help Malaysia win the Covid-19 war and this could entail the public and private healthcare facilities sharing the load, among other things.
According to health experts, this could be done by having public healthcare facilities focus on Covid-19 cases while other patients are sent to private hospitals.
They said that the Covid-19 war has turned out to be the most serious challenge yet for the Malaysian healthcare system, as public and private healthcare facilities are close to full capacity.
The Health Ministry has reached out to the Defence Ministry, seeking help of the Armed Forces in setting up field hospitals in Kelantan and Sarawak, two of the most badly affected states.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy founder and chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib pointed out that non-Covid-19 cases cannot and should not be sidelined in favour of Covid-19 cases.
“Babies still have to be delivered, surgeries need to be conducted and chronic illnesses must be treated,” he told theSun.
“The healthcare system has been busy dealing with everyday health problems of society. The Covid-19 pandemic has only made it more difficult for our healthcare workers.”
However, he said private healthcare facilities could help by taking the bulk of non-Covid patients so that beds in public hospitals can be made available for Covid-19 cases.
He said provisions could also be made for urgent cases to be sent to designated public or private hospitals. “We need to find an effective way for both private and public facilities to share the load.”
Azrul said that while the system is not overwhelmed yet, it is close to breaking point. “Fortunately, we are not in a dire situation yet like in other countries, but it can change very quickly.”
He noted that hospitals are already deferring non-urgent surgeries and admissions to conserve resources to ensure there are enough beds to meet the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba (pix) announced early this week that field hospitals are now needed to accommodate non-Covid patients, to free up beds in public hospitals for Covid-19 cases.
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said beds in private hospitals in the Klang Valley that have been reserved for Covid-19 patients have already been fully taken up.
“Our intensive care units are also filled to capacity. We are not able to take in more patients because we do not have additional resources or space. While government hospitals can draw on additional staff, we have a limited number of doctors and specialists.”
However, he agreed with Azrul that private hospitals can help by taking non-Covid patients from government hospitals so that beds are freed up for Covid-19 cases.
He said private hospitals are not equipped to take on the challenge of fighting a pandemic like public hospitals.
Kuljit reiterated that making a profit is not a priority for private hospitals at this time. “We could continue to charge the fees agreed upon with the government last year.”
He also advised all Malaysians to observe the standard operating procedures to help curb the spread of the virus. “It’s our responsibility to keep our families safe.”
