HKL clarifies incident of patient being treated on the floor

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) in a statement Saturday clarifies the incident in which a patient was treated on the floor of the hospital's Emergency and Trauma Department, which went viral recently.

Its director Datuk Dr Heric Corray said the patient was brought to the unit unconscious and without pulse, as well as not breathing.

"However at that time all beds were occupied and the floor was the best flat surface to perform CPR (Cardio-Respiratory Resuscitation) immediately. However the patient could not be saved.

"As the cause of the death could not be identified, the deceased was sent to HKL Forensic Medical Department for a post-mortem and is now awaiting results," he said in a statement here, yesterday.

On Friday, the media reported that a doctor, believed on assigned at the hospital's Emergency and Trauma Department, revealed that the hospital cannot afford to cater for new patients in a post on social media.

While not denying that bed utilisation in HKL had increased due to COVID-19 cases, Dr Heric said most of the cases are in category four while planning on bed management is scrutinised based on current needs.

On reports of beds and staff constraint in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), he said bed occupancy at the unit is at the highest now, however medical equipment such as oxygen, beds and others are being planned.

-- BERNAMA