Health Minister: 112 private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients

PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): A total of 112 private hospitals nationwide have given their co-operation in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

These hospitals, he said, provided 1,277 ward beds and 129 beds for the Intensive Care Units (ICU) to handle Covid-19 cases nationwide.

"Through the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, the Health Ministry (MOH)can co-operate with private hospitals, especially in the urban areas, to treat Covid-19 cases,” he told a media conference after launching the virtual Healthcare Scheme for B40 Group (PeKa B40) Report for 2019-2020 on Tuesday (July 6).

Through the Emergency Ordinance, the MOH can also fully utilise hospitals, such as the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Specialist Children’s Hospital in Cheras, to treat Covid-19 cases.

On the involvement of medical practitioners from the private sector in giving vaccine jabs, Dr Adham said 1,230 vaccination centres (PPV) had been set up so far under ProtectHealth, which had been given the mandate to involve private medical practitioners.

He said that ProtectHealth, together with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force and MOH, would open over 30 large-scale integrated PPV nationwide before July 19.

According to Adham, the PPV under ProtectHealth, had achieved administering 110,000 doses of vaccine jabs daily at the end of June.

ProtectHealth is a fully-owned subsidiary of ProtectHealth Malaysia, which was set up under the MOH and is not profit-based. It coordinates, administers and manages initiatives linked to the financing of healthcare services as entrusted by the MOH. - Bernama