KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — A total of 130 private hospitals have been identified by the Ministry of Health as those able to treat Covid-19 patients, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah revealed today.

The Health director-general said these were picked from a total of 210 private hospitals in the country that possessed the sufficient in-house expertise to treat Covid-19 patients.

“There are 130 hospitals which have been identified that have the capacity to treat Covid-19 patients in stages three, four, and five.

“And from this, a total of 95 hospitals have already agreed to prepare the necessary treatment as of January 25,” he said during a media briefing session held over Zoom this evening.

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These 95 hospitals, Dr Noor Hisham said, would provide the healthcare system an additional 1,286 beds, and 95 beds in Intensive Care Units (ICU) to treat Covid-19 patients.

Additionally, the cooperation with the private sector would also see 54 more breathing ventilators being available for patients.

“This is a good development considering our cooperation with them started on January 23, not a week into it and we have received a good response,” he said.

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Dr Noor Hisham also drew on the importance of powers afforded to his ministry under the Emergency Ordinance, which he said would allow priority for the movement and assignment of healthcare workers from the public and private sector.

“What is important is the use of the Emergency Ordinance which allows healthcare officials from one hospital to move to another hospital, whether it’s between private hospitals, or between public and private hospitals.

“What is important is that we have the right specialists to diagnose and the healthcare officials to treat patients,” he added.

Under the recently gazetted Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has full authority to use all resources at his disposal for any purposes he deems necessary.

These include human resources, facilities, utilities and assets and the controller or manager of such human resources, facilities, utilities and assets.