PRIVATE hospitals are not inundated with patients with influenza, the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) said today.

Its president Dr Kuljit Singh said this in response to a media report that private hospitals were faced with such a situation.

“The majority of private hospitals in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak have seen an increase in Influenza A admissions.

“However, the rate was not alarming enough to affect admissions for other conditions.

“In general, private hospitals have seen an increase in admission of patients seeking treatment for a variety of other chronic and non-chronic diseases, as well as emergencies,” he said in a statement today.

Kuljit also said while demand for personalised and private care had increased, this was not related to Covid-19.

He added that this high demand was due to the long periods of lockdowns and restricted movement, which might have reduced healthcare and monitoring.

A recent article in the New Straits Times highlighted parents’ worries regarding the challenges of securing hospital beds at private medical facilities, which are predominantly operating at full capacity.

Several individuals said they contacted up to four hospitals, yet none had the capacity to admit new patients.

To this, Kuljit said a shortage of nurses has hindered the hospitals’ ability to set up additional wards.

“We in private hospitals have been constrained by a lack of personnel, particularly in the nursing field, which precludes us from increasing our bed capacity,” he said.

He added this has led to extended waiting times for patients seeking admission.

Kuljit warned that the situation would worsen in the coming months if the government did not address the shortage of nurses.

He also called on the government to consider the proposal of recruiting private foreign nurses as a quick solution to the problem.

World Health Organization reported that influenza cases have recently been on the rise in Malaysia, raising concerns in particular among people aged 60 and older. – August 28, 2023.