Staff shortage, patient load led Klang hospital to close emergency dept green zone

PETALING JAYA: The green zone of Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang (HTAR)’s emergency department will reopen at 3pm on Friday (Feb 3).

Sources from the hospital said that the green zone’s emergency department at HTAR was closed a second time this week for a duration of one shift or about seven hours.

The latest closure started early Friday morning due to a shortage of staff and high patient load.

A notice was put up at the entrance of the department to inform patients of the situation.

"We are lacking manpower, where only 50 medical officers are working in the department currently and fewer than 10 housemen.

"Besides that, medical officers are required to be on a passive call system whereby after their shift, if the hospital needs manpower, the medical officer on standby for the day is required to work a further minimum of four hours before going home," a source told The Star.

The source said hospitals would not reject critical or urgent cases, but non-urgent cases were at "risk of misuse".

It added that a change in the shift system would also be imposed from next week to accommodate the high patient load, where medical staff who are put on one night shift per week, are entitled to one night off but without any days off.

Others working two days of night shifts are entitled to one night off and one day off.

Meanwhile medical staff who are more than 34 weeks pregnant are exempted from the night shift and if given two days off, their working hours would be extended to 4pm, instead of 3.15pm. - Star