PETALING JAYA: The extended waiting times and late admissions at the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital in Seremban are due to a fire at the hospital's substation switch, says Negeri Sembilan state health director Datuk Dr Harlina Abdul Rashid.
Dr Harlina said it was a regrettable situation as the incident at the sub-station on Thursday (Dec 26) led to operational disruptions.
"Furthermore, the number of patients at the Emergency and Trauma Department (ETD) was high during the time, with no empty beds compounding the situation," she said in a statement on Sunday (Dec 29).
"To reduce the congestion, a discharge lounge that could accommodate six beds with a holding bay capacity of 12 beds was prepared as a temporary transit ward to reduce the impact of the delay."
Dr Harlina said other proactive measures included monitoring ETD shifts to prioritise patients, implementing step-down activities to transfer patients to other hospitals if necessary, and mobilising additional staff at the ETD.
"Those with light symptoms were advised to seek treatment at district health hospitals to enable the ETD to give priority to emergency cases and reduce the congestion," she added.
