{
  "id": 18065584,
  "title": "70% of patients at Penang Hospital emergency department are non-critical cases",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/70-of-patients-at-penang-hospital-emergency-department-are-non",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-04T03:54:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/11/04/70-of-patients-at-penang-hospital-emergency-department-are-non-critical-cases"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "George Town, Penang: In a recent report, the state health committee chairman Daniel Gooi revealed that a staggering 70% of patients visiting Penang Hospital's emergency and trauma department are non-critical cases, leading to overcrowding at the facility. The department, which handles an average of 300 cases daily, revealed that 32.99% of patients were non-emergency cases, while 40.6% were classified as minor (Green Zone) cases, totaling 73.56% of patients needing non-critical care. Only 7.14% of cases were classified as critical (Red Zone), requiring immediate treatment, while 19.81% were semi-critical (Yellow Zone) cases. Despite the high number of non-critical cases, the hospital does not have a 'wrong-door' policy and treats all patients, according to Gooi during a question-and-answer session at the state assembly. The hospital also serves as a referral center for northern states. To alleviate congestion, the hospital has introduced several measures, including extending the operating hours of high-capacity health clinics and improving referral procedures to directly admit high-risk patients to hospital wards. The state is also collaborating with nearby private clinics to treat low-risk patients. Longer-term measures involve constructing two new hospital blocks, expected to increase the number of beds and reduce overcrowding at the emergency department. Following a viral video showing the hospital's congestion, Penang Hospital apologized and implemented a triage system to prioritize patients based on the severity of their conditions rather than their arrival time.",
  "summary": "The hospital cannot turn them away as it does not have a 'wrong-door' policy, says state executive councillor Daniel Gooi.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}