Private hospitals not using Ivermectin for COVID-19 patients - APHM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) said they are not using the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients.

Its president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said private hospitals have been treating COVID-19 patients since January using treatment protocols that are approved with evidence-based guidelines by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and international medical societies and Ivermectin is not included.

"APHM has consulted most of its 152 members and none of them are currently using the parasitic medication Ivermectin for their COVID-19 patients.

"The Ministry of Health has some of their hospitals conducting clinical trials on Ivermectin but none of the private hospitals are participating in the trial. Private hospitals may only use this medication after approval with detailed guidelines from the government. However there has been no indication on this as yet," he said in a statement today.

He said there has been a recent announcement of prescribing Ivermectin as an 'off-label' treatment for COVID-19 by MOH that the parasitic medication is to be administrated in a monitored environment, and that private hospitals will be very cautious of using any medication which is still in its research stage without any concrete evidence of its effectiveness.

Dr Kuljit said APHM has also ensured that none of its members have prescribed Ivermectin thus far to any patient for the purpose of treating COVID-19 in any category.

He said APHM refutes fake news circulating in social media that some private hospitals have had some success using this medication which is not approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

He further said private hospitals are currently actively managing COVID-19 patients based on their capacity and capabilities as well as also providing manpower to mega vaccination centers and stand-alone centres within hospitals, adding that they have also begun managing decanted patients from the government hospitals.

Dr Kuljit said 44 private hospitals in the Greater Klang Valley have provided 951 beds for decanting patients from government hospitals and the process is still ongoing on a daily basis but the full capacity of decanting is yet to be exhausted.

-- BERNAMA