KUCHING: Health authorities are working on both short-term and long-term plans to ease overcrowding particularly at the Sarawak General Hospital’s (SGH) Emergency and Trauma Department (ETD).
This will include sending stable patients to other hospitals for treatment.
Sarawak Health Department director Dr Ooi Choo Huck in a statement, said that SGH with a capacity of 1,009 beds, is a State Specialist Hospital and Lead Hospital for the Southern Sarawak Cluster Hospital.
The Non-Lead Hospitals for the Southern Sarawak Cluster Hospital are Sarawak Heart Centre (PJS), Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital (RCBM), Bau Hospital, Lundu Hospital, Serian Hospital, Simunjan Hospital and Sentosa Hospital.
“Some of the short-term improvement efforts for services at the SGH’s ETD include arrangements on re-positioning patients in SGH, especially stable patients, who will be transferred to the Cluster Hospital Group.
“It will be either at Bau Hospital, PJS, RCBM, Serian Hospital, Simunjan Hospital and Lundu Hospital with cooperation and support from patients and family members.
“The next one would be making use of the SGH’s Day Care Centre to serve as a temporary space for treating inpatients.
“Others include outsourcing patients to private facilities (requires prior approval from the Ministry of Health) and the construction of SGH’s Medan Hospital funded by the Sarawak government, which should be able to address the overcrowding situation,” he said.
As for the long-term planning efforts, Dr Ooi said the under construction Petra Jaya Hospital, will serve as a Major Specialist Hospital with a capacity of 300 beds, once it is completed.
The new hospital is expected to be completed by the end of next year and it will be operational in 2025.
He pointed out that the Petra Jaya Hospital is expected to be able to help SGH in patient care.
In addition, the Health Ministry is also taking several actions to address the overcrowding issue at various ETDs throughout the country.
Among the ministry’s improvements, was to empower Lean Healthcare initiatives at ETDs, which will be able to reduce waiting time to see a doctor.
Dr Ooi said a Short Stay Unit (SSU) will also be implemented at government hospitals to provide treatment to stable patients of less than 72 hours to reduce overcrowding at the main ward to pave the way for critical patients.
Lastly, non-emergency patients will be transferred to nearby health clinics and will indirectly reduce overcrowding at ETDs.
