Six hours before patient can be attended to

A Universiti Malaya Medical Centre staff told a suspected dengue patient that he had to wait for six hours before being attended to.

VIDEO INSIDE

PETALING JAYA: A patient with dengue-like symptoms was told by a staff that he had to wait for six hours before he could see a doctor at the emergency department of the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) at 1am on Monday.

Elangovan Annamalai said the staff asked him whether he was sure he wanted to seek treatment because it would take about six hours to see a doctor.

Elangovan told FMT in a video interview that the staff told me it was not an urgent case and not an emergency.

According to the Health Ministry dengue fever has claimed 22 lives so far this year.

Elangovan suffered from bouts of dizziness, which is one of the symptoms, apart from rashes and fever.

He said there had already been four dengue cases in his housing area, indicating a possible outbreak.

“I told the staff that I will wait for six hours but if anything happens to me I will sue the hospital and its management,” he added.

Elangovan said only after the threat was he taken to a room for a medical checkup and given painkillers without water.

Waiting along with Elangovan was a man known only as Azlim, who brought his mother.

“My mother’s blood pressure was high. She was dizzy and sweating so we came to the emergency department,” Azlim told FMT.

“When they checked her blood pressure it was quite high, 169/90, so they asked me to take a number and wait,” said Azlim.

“I think they should give a place for my mother to lie down. It shouldn’t be this way,” he said.

Elangovan said if the six-hour wait was a norm at the emergency department this could only mean disaster should a big accident occurred nearby.

“What will happen if there was a bus accident like what happened in Genting Highlands, and 30 to 40 people need to come here for treatment?

“Why are there only a few doctors working during the peak period in such a big hospital,” he asked.

When contacted, a UMMC nurse said they could not reveal any information about patients and refused to comment further.