All non-COVID-19 patients at government hospitals in the greater Klang Valley will be transferred to private facilities to make space for COVID-19 patients.

Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Dr Kuljit Singh said the patients will be transferred in stages from July 20, to private hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and some in Negeri Sembilan.

"These hospitals will accept non-COVID-19 inpatients from government hospitals, as well as patients in the emergency department.

"The idea is to assist the government so that they will have more space in some hospitals, where they are planning to convert them into full COVID-19 hospitals," The Star quoted him saying in a recent statement.

According to him, about 40 to 50 private hospitals are participating in this exercise, with more than 800 beds to spare for non-COVID-19 patients.

Patients who are transferred in such a way also do not have to worry about skyrocketing bills, as the government will pay for the treatment when the private hospital accepts the patient.

"The government will look at our itemised billing and based on a cap, will pay accordingly," he said, adding that any excess beyond the cap would be negotiated with the government.

This initiative is not purely meant to assist the government in the war against COVID-19 and should not be seen as a business venture to make profits, he pointed.

Many hospitals, especially in the Klang Valley, where COVID-19 cases have remained high, have overflowed with patients with the virus.

This has caused the hospitals to convert their parking lots into makeshift wards, by putting stretchers to accommodate patients. Mortuaries have also been filled with COVID-19 casualties, forcing some hospitals to use containers to store the bodies.

Malaysia continues to record high cases of COVID-19 cases daily.

Yesterday, 11,985 new infections and a record high of 199 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of cases and fatalities in the country to 951,884, and 7,440, respectively.


Source: The Star
Photo source: Malay Mail