THE Health Ministry needs additional manpower to open up more intensive care units (ICUs) to cater to the rise in Covid-19 patients. 

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the figures for the ICU rates and ventilator patients have doubled compared to last month.

“We still have the capacity at our hospitals in Sg Buloh, where we are running about 60 beds in the ICU.

“More importantly is that we need more staff to open up more space. We have the capacity but short of manpower,” he said in Putrajaya today. 

There are now 197 patients in intensive care, of which 79 cases require respiratory assistance.

Noor Hisham said they were currently looking into how they can increase their manpower in terms of positions.

“The Public Service Department is helping us to offer more posts to nurses and others. We are in the process of recruiting more people.”

He also said they were also looking into Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 hospitals. 

“Forty-one patients are being ventilated in non-Covid-19 hospitals because Sg Buloh is full.

“We have the capacity to expand from 60 to 110 ICU beds but we need the manpower.”

Noor Hisham said with the new movement-control order (MCO) and emergency order they can work with private hospitals to look into Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 private hospitals.

“Tomorrow we have a meeting with the private hospitals and see how best we can accommodate them. 

“We also need to look at the capacity of private hospitals to cater to Covid-19 patients.”

He added that discussions were ongoing and they want to see how they can accommodate patients, especially in the Klang Valley. 

“We will look at the private hospitals in the six states under MCO as our main aim is to flatten the curve.” – January 13, 2021.