Sudden influx of patients - Putrajaya Hospital addresses complaints

 

The Putrajaya Hospital has addressed concerns regarding its service delivery following a viral Twitter post that showed it had a crowded emergency department and a lack of staff.

Putrajaya Hospital director Dr Nora’i Mohd Said said they had a sudden influx of patients that night, with 95 patients arriving at the emergency department between 11pm to 1am.

During that night shift, there were 13 medical officers on duty and nurses were working at maximum capacity, she added.

“We are thankful and open to accepting the views put forth (by the Twitter user) and would like to explain a few issues.

“Those on duty worked to provide the best services to the patients coming to the emergency department. Queue numbers were being called based on the Queue Management System (QMS) according to the patient’s condition and type of treatment.

“For the record, the number of patients between 11pm till 1am in the green zone (of the Emergency and Trauma Department) on Feb 13 alone was 95 patients,” Nora’i said in a statement yesterday.

Her response comes after a Twitter user posted a series of complaints regarding their visit to the hospital’s emergency department on the night of Feb 13.

Some of the issues raised included insufficient doctors, beds for patients, and seats for waiting families.

They also claimed the QMS does not appear to be working, the bathrooms were dirty, and patients were given broken wheelchairs to use.

Patients were also not getting the urgent care they needed, with some having to wait for hours, the Twitter user claimed.

Hospital will improve

In her statement yesterday, Nora’i said the hospital has 15 wheelchairs for patients. However, she noted they would identify wheelchairs that are no longer suitable for use.

Regarding the lack of beds and waiting facilities, the hospital director advised the public to seek treatment from nearby health clinics for non-urgent cases to give way to critical patients who require urgent care.

She also said, instead of waiting at the emergency department, people could go to waiting spaces near the pharmacy counter of the emergency department or the main lobby.

“Due to safety factors, the public is not encouraged by the Emergency Department to sit in unsuitable places,” Nora’i said.

According to the KKMNow website – the Health Ministry’s open data repository – Putrajaya Hospital had a 98.4 percent bed utilisation rate as of yesterday.

Lastly, Nora’i said the hospital will improve their cleaning of the bathrooms to ensure they are up to standards.

“This is important to ensure the toilets are clean and safe so that users are comfortable with the public facilities at the Putrajaya Hospital,” she said. - Mkini