Private hospitals ready to receive cardiac surgery patients from Serdang centre

 

The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia says patients at Sultan Idris Shah Hospital Heart Centre in need of urgent cardiac surgery may be referred to private hospitals if public hospitals can’t accommodate them. (Wikipedia pic)

PETALING JAYA: Private hospitals in the Klang Valley are prepared to assist patients awaiting cardiac surgeries at the Sultan Idris Shah Hospital (HSIS) Heart Centre in Serdang, Selangor, says the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM).

In a statement, APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said patients in need of urgent cardiac surgery could be referred to private hospitals if public hospitals are unable to accommodate them.

“There are six to eight private hospitals in the Klang Valley that are equipped with state-of-the-art operating rooms for cardiac surgery and staffed with senior cardiac thoracic surgeons,” he said.

“These facilities are available to patients who are unable to wait for surgery appointments.”

Kuljit said private hospitals were willing to offer their assistance to the government in light of the challenges at HSIS, citing the successful transfer of patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Additionally, the number of admissions for Covid-19 in private hospitals remains minimal, with no significant rise that would cause concern for the intensive care units or emergency departments,” he said.

He said the cost of surgery at private hospitals was covered by a public-private partnership agreement with the health ministry, which could be extended to more private hospitals if needed.

He also called on the government to expedite the recruitment of foreign nurses to help manage the backlog of patients, noting that the health ministry had exempted these nurses from the need for a post-basic qualification to work locally last year.

Yesterday, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said repairs to defects found in the surgery complex at HSIS would be carried out by next month.

Dzulkefly said emergency cases would be referred to other facilities such as the National Heart Institute.

The Selangor health department had confirmed technical issues at the heart surgery complex, including electrical supply problems and high humidity levels.

It was reported that four operating theatres at the cardiac facility, which opened less than two years ago, could not be used. - FMT