Ahead of MCO review, Health DG highlights stretched ICU at hospital

 

Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah spent the morning on social media highlighting the stretched situation at the intensive care unit of Sungai Buloh Hospital ahead of a review on the movement control order (MCO) status.

The Health Ministry had proposed the reimposition of a full movement control order on several states which are seeing a resurgence of Covid-19 cases. At present, only Kelantan is under a statewide full MCO.

Noor Hisham sounded alarm bells yesterday, warning that ICUs in Klang Valley hospitals were once again nearing capacity after the resurgence of Covid-19 cases that followed after a relaxation of restrictions.

Sharing photographs of the situation at Sungai Buloh hospital, Noor Hisham said critically-ill Covid-19 patients are now being placed in the general ward as there isn't enough space in the ICU.

“Staff from the Sungai Buloh Hospital medical department seen here pushing ventilators for use in the general wards.

“There has been an increase in the number of critically-ill Covid-19 patients ventilated in general wards due to the scarcity of available ICU beds.

“Suitable general wards will be repurposed for critical care to meet increasing needs.

“Currently there are 80 critical care repurposed beds that have been created around the Klang Valley and this total will be added on as required,” he said in a series of posts on social media.

 Noor Hisham also showed how the emergency department’s observation bay at Sungai Buloh Hospital was also partially converted into a Covid-19 ICU.

He said there were 63 ICU patients at Sungai Buloh Hospital with 25 critical patients who have to be placed in the general ward and Emergency Department.

Noor Hisham said more than 20 cases are referred to the ICU at Sungai Buloh hospital daily in the past week.

He said through the Central Region Covid-19 Unified Command Centre, Covid-19 patients are being transferred from one hospital to another where there is the availability of critical care beds.

“There are seven hospitals dedicated to treating Covid-19 patients, including a university hospital in the Klang Valley covering the state of Selangor and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya,” he said.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday also said the MCO status in various states will be reviewed.

Government stakeholders are expected to make their case at the National Security Council meeting.

While the Health Ministry has often advocated for more stringent rules as its considerations are from a disease control perspective, the government also had to balance counter-arguments from the economic perspective advocated by the International Trade and Industry Ministry and Economic Planning Unit.

This is the second time the government has had to grapple with the difficult decision of reimposing a full MCO after easing restrictions too early.

In December last year, the government lifted the interdistrict and interstate travel ban while the number of new Covid-19 cases were still unstable, only to send the country back under a full MCO a month later.

In March, the government lifted the interdistrict travel ban but retained the interstate travel restriction.

Two months later, the country is now facing a similar situation - the prospect of MCO 3.0.

 - Mkini