GEORGE TOWN: Almost 74% of patients seeking treatment at Penang Hospital’s emergency and trauma department are non-critical cases, leading to congestion, says state health committee chairman Daniel Gooi.
He said the department handled about 300 cases daily, of which 33% were non-emergency cases and 40.6% were classified as green zone (minor) cases.
Only 7.14% of patients were classified as red zone (critical) cases, requiring immediate treatment, while 19.81% fell under the yellow zone (semi-critical), according to data from January to July this year.
“The department continues to receive these patients as it cannot turn them away. We do not have a ‘wrong-door’ policy,” Gooi said during a question-and-answer session at the state assembly.
He was responding to Gooi Hsiao-Leung (PH-Bukit Tengah), who asked about the factors contributing to congestion and long waiting times at the department after videos showing daily crowds went viral.
Under the triage system, red zone patients requiring critical care are treated immediately, followed by yellow zone patients and those in the green zone.
He said several initiatives had been introduced to ease congestion, including extending the operating hours of high-capacity health clinics and improving referral procedures to allow high-risk patients to be admitted directly to hospital wards.
“The state is also working with nearby private clinics participating in the Madani Medical Scheme and PeKa B40 programme to treat low-risk patients.
“We now have two Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) clinics at Komtar and Penang Sentral, offering services beyond normal office hours,” Gooi said.
Longer-term measures included the construction of two new blocks at Penang Hospital, he added.
