HTAR records 54 per cent drop in patient congestion - Health Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health (MOH), with the cooperation of the Special Task Force to Reform the Public Sector (STAR), relevant ministries and government agencies have implemented a pilot project to help reduce patient congestion in the emergency department at government hospitals.

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the project is among the initiatives of Bitara MADANI driven by STAR to solve problems and difficulties faced by the people immediately.

"The current status of the pilot project's implementation to reduce patient congestion at government hospitals was discussed at the Malaysia MADANI Action Council (MTMM) Meeting 1/2023 on April 13 (yesterday), chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim," she said in a statement today.

According to her, the pilot project has been implemented in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) and the Bandar Botanic Health Clinic (KKBB) in the Klang district where the immediate proposed intervention was to move the green zone operation (non-emergency) of the HTAR Emergency Department to the KKBB outside of operation hours, beginning March 25, with KKBB extending operation hours until 9.30 pm daily.

She said until April 9, the average patient arrivals at the green zone of the Emergency and Trauma Department, HTAR, recorded a decrease at 54 per cent.

Dr Zaliha said this decreasing trend was more significant on Saturdays and Sundays and was in line with increased patient arrivals at the KKBB after the intervention to extend operation hours was implemented.

In this regard, the MOH has decided to widen the scope of the pilot project by extending operation hours at five other selected health clinics involving the Gombak and Hulu Langat districts as well as in Ipoh, Johor Bharu and Kuala Lumpur.

Dr Zaliha said that in addition to extending operation hours in health clinics, seven other long- and medium-term solutions to reduce patient congestion at government hospitals are being implemented.

"Among them are the implementation of the MADANI Medical Scheme; review of relevant acts, circulars and guidelines; implementation of lean management; expansion of virtual healthcare services; and the communication strategy through behavioural insight which is ongoing in collaboration with the ministry and relevant government agencies.

"MOH strongly encourages patients who are not suffering from critical illnesses to seek treatment at health clinics. This will help doctors and medical personnel to give immediate treatment to critical patients at the emergency department of government hospitals," she added.

-- BERNAMA