IPOH, Dec 13 — An initial investigation found that no patients returned home without receiving treatment from the Emergency and Trauma Department (ETD) of the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB).
State Human Resources, Health, and Indian Community Affairs committee chairman A. Sivanesan said instead, every patient who came to the department was treated appropriately.
“We cannot predict the number of patients at ETD. For example, if there is a bus accident, 40 people would be seeking treatment and the emergency room is full. Should we send them back? We have to treat them somehow. No one is denied (treatment).
“This problem (overcrowding) is not only in government hospitals but also in private ones. It cannot be solved overnight. But we never ask a patient to return without treatment. Any patient who comes to us will still be treated,” he told a press conference after visiting HRPB today.
He said the HRPB management together with the Perak State Health Department and Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa will review and discuss how to increase capacity to treat critical patients, in addition to applying for at least RM6.5 million allocation from the federal government for the overall improvement of the hospital.
Yesterday, HRPB director Dr Megat Iskandar Megat Abdul Hamid said the hospital has set up a bed management unit (BMU) as an improvement measure to expedite the admission of patients to wards from the ETD.
The unit, which now operated round-the-clock daily, had also helped facilitate the discharge process of patients from all wards. — Bernama
