Physician urges private hospitals to be transparent on emergency care

 Dr M Murallitharan says transparency is important to ensure the public does not lose confidence in the healthcare system.

Private hospitals are required by law to always be ready to provide lifesaving treatment and emergency care to anyone in need.

PETALING JAYA:

A public health physician is urging private hospitals to practise greater transparency and step up efforts to raise awareness on how medical emergencies are handled.

Dr M Murallitharan said most public and private hospitals have clear emergency procedures and typically adhere to them.

Despite this, public misconceptions continue to persist, driven by a lack of transparency and awareness, he said.

“Hospitals must be transparent when it comes to compliance with these processes and it is also equally important that this these processes are widely communicated.

“This is to ensure that the public does not lose confidence in our healthcare system,” he told FMT.

Murallitharan was commenting after a welder was sentenced to prison for causing the death of his wife’s alleged boyfriend in 2022.

The welder said he had accidentally stabbed the victim and rushed him to a private hospital, which allegedly refused treatment.

According to Murallitharan, private hospitals are bound by law to administer lifesaving measures and perform emergency procedures.

Section 38 of the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 requires all licensed private healthcare facilities to be capable of providing essential life‑saving measures and emergency procedures at all times to anyone in need of such treatment.

“Private hospitals are required to assess the patient’s condition and provide immediate emergency care, including lifesaving treatment where life, an organ or a limb is at risk.

“These hospitals must also arrange for the patient to be transferred to another facility if they are unable to provide ongoing care,” he said.

Murallitharan also said the Malaysian Medical Council guidelines clearly state that emergency and lifesaving treatment should be provided regardless of a patient’s social or financial status. - FMT