Councillor warns of preventable deaths as helpless Covid-19 patients turn to him

 

A local councillor has warned of potentially preventable deaths as an increasing number of Covid-19 patients turn to him after failing to get an ambulance to the hospital.

Petaling Jaya local councillor Bryan Ng said in the past week, four Covid-19 patients reached out to him about difficulties in getting medical treatment.

Ng (above) said two of the patients, aged 54 and 55, experienced breathing difficulties and had an oximeter reading of 86 percent.

A normal reading for an oximeter, which estimates the oxygen level in one's blood, is above 95 percent.

"Both called for an ambulance and were told to get their own private vehicle to the nearest hospital, as University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) does not have any more capacity.

"They were sent to a Covid-19 Assessment Centre (CAC) by a family member the next day.

"When they reached the CAC, they were immediately put on oxygen treatment and IV drip due to serious breathing difficulties," he said in a statement today. 

In another instance, Ng said a patient who was on his fourth day of quarantine suffered breathing difficulties and dialled "112" for an ambulance but was told none were available.

"He left me a dreadful and labouring voice note seeking help. I immediately called 112 and was given the same reason.

"I insisted that it was an emergency and finally the ambulance arrived an hour later," he added.

For the fourth case, Ng said it involved a three-year-old who was diagnosed with Covid-19.

"The child had been having a fever for at least six days. I stepped in to help and called 112. Unbelievably, I was told that having a fever for six days was not an emergency.

"The mother does not have a driving licence and the rest of her family are already warded in the hospital. She had no other means to go to Sungai Buloh Hospital to get her infant treated," he said.

Ng empathised with the plight of medical frontliners for their tireless and continuous battle against Covid-19 but said the government's "ill-management" of healthcare services were causing patients to suffer.

He called on the government to put its emergency powers to good use. 

"Under the Emergency Ordinance, the government has the right to instruct private hospitals to lend their ambulances for emergencies.

"Emergency response vehicles from other departments such as the Civil Defence or Fire Department should be used as temporary ambulances. 

"In addition, with 80 percent of the public sector working from home, there are many government vehicles that are underutilised and laying idly," he said. 

"Vans and buses from the ministries and government agencies such as the Forestry Department, Youth and Sports, etc could be retrofitted to serve as temporary ambulances," he added.

He also suggested the government use its fleet of buses to ferry people to CACs, which have been implemented in countries like Singapore and the United Kingdom.

"Buses are possibly the most suitable substitute vehicle as they are well-ventilated and there is a safe distance between the driver and passengers.

"It can be fitted with a barrier sheet for added protection for the driver and carry oxygen tanks for those with breathing difficulties," he said.

Ng urged the government to also use its emergency powers to compel private hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients.

The government has already decanted non-Covid-19 patients to private hospitals so that public hospitals have more capacity for Covid-19 patients.

"It is pertinent for the government to provide enough ambulances by mobilising available resources, acquiring options of temporary ambulances, and lessen the bureaucracy of what constitutes 'emergency' cases.

"Emergency service responders should not be allowed to make an arbitrary judgement on emergency cases," he added. - Mkini