DIRECTOR-GENERAL of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has instructed private hospitals to set aside more beds for Covid-19 patients as government hospitals reach capacity.

Noor Hisham said in a May 20 letter to the hospitals that the number of Covid-19 patients was growing.

“The ministry understands that private hospitals are also seeing an increase in Covid-19 patients at this juncture, both in wards and ICU,” he said.

He said the ministry hoped to have the help of the private hospitals in preventing a “health crisis”.

“All private hospitals which are treating Covid-19 patients should increase the number of beds for Covid-19 patients. The maximum number of beds should be based on the licensed ward and ICU capacity.”

Noor Hisham said private hospitals must allocate more beds for Covid-19 patients without affecting quality of care.

He said the private hospitals must also record the daily occupancy of beds.

On the situation in government hospitals, Noor Hisham said more than 70% of the ICUs was full with the occupancy rate exceeding 100% in the central region.

The occupancy rate in the wards was 70-90%.

Noor Hisham had earlier this month warned government hospitals to prepare for a surge in coronavirus cases

Malaysia has logged record numbers of new infections and deaths in recent weeks.

Noor Hisham said there were no signs the numbers would decline in the near future. – May 21, 2021.