KLANG: A sudden surge in patient numbers has pushed the already busy Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) into a semi-crisis level, but swift action under its surge capacity plan has helped stabilise the situation.
HTAR director Dr Selvamalar Selvarajan revealed that the number of patients waiting at the emergency department had increased by around 120 daily over the past week.
Combined with the hospital’s usual admission rate of 130 to 150 patients per day, this surge pushed HTAR’s bed occupancy rate close to 100%.
“Despite the increase, the hospital is still maintaining a daily discharge rate of over 100 patients, which has helped reduce the number of patients waiting for beds,” Dr Selvamalar said yesterday.
As a result, she said the average waiting time for ward placement has shortened.
To further address the congestion, several measures have been put in place.
These include setting up a discharge lounge for patients awaiting pick-up after discharge, which helps speed up bed turnover.
“The number of beds in specific zones of the emergency department has also been increased to accommodate patients awaiting transfer to wards,” said Dr Selvamalar.
In addition, the hospital has mobilised internal staff to ensure smooth operations, especially during peak hours.
As of 10am yesterday, HTAR had discharged 62 patients, admitted 56, and was attending to 78 patients still waiting in the emergency department, she said in a statement.
Dr Selvamalar assured that all patients in the emergency department will continue to receive medical attention and be provided with hospital meals while they wait.
