Early arrivals contributing to hospital congestion, says Perak health exco

IPOH, September 8 — Perak's Health Committee Chairman, A. Sivanesan, has revealed that congestion in the state's government hospitals is, in part, due to elderly patients arriving with family members and arriving earlier than their scheduled appointments. Typically, these patients are accompanied by their children or other relatives, and some even come early believing they can see doctors sooner. This behavior contributes to hospital congestion, including in parking areas.

Sivanesan addressed these concerns in response to a question from Selinsing assemblyman Sallehuddin Abdullah, who inquired about patient wait times and the sufficiency of hospital bed capacity to meet the state's growing population and the increasing number of chronic diseases. The chairman noted that doctors often perform additional duties, such as ward rounds, before attending to patients, which may contribute to longer waiting times.

Despite longer waits, Sivanesan stated that patients generally remain satisfied with the treatment they receive. He also highlighted the difference between government and private hospitals, where patients with medical insurance might have to wait longer for insurance company approval before being discharged. Sivanesan explained that negotiations between private hospitals and insurance companies on treatment charges could sometimes take several hours, while patients could leave government hospitals immediately after discharge.

To tackle congestion, the Health Department has implemented several measures, including allowing patients to make medication pick-ups by phone and offering to deliver medication directly to patients' homes for a fee. Regarding bed capacity, Perak has 15 government hospitals with approximately 6,000 beds, of which around 5,600 are operational, leaving around 400 beds vacant.

The state also has 96 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, with about 75 in operation. Sivanesan acknowledged that temporary shortages could occur during unexpected health emergencies, such as disease outbreaks or major accidents, but no bed shortage complaints have been received so far.