LETTER | IHH Healthcare Malaysia ready to treat Covid-19 patients

LETTER | The IHH Healthcare Malaysia has allocated approximately 10 percent of its bed capacity, including (intensive care unit) ICU beds, across its network of 16 hospitals comprising Gleneagles Hospitals, Pantai Hospitals and Prince Court Medical Centre, for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

From day one of the pandemic, we have been committed to partnering our public healthcare counterparts. An integral part of IHH Healthcare Malaysia is preparedness for pandemics.

When Covid-19 struck, we immediately executed our response plans. Our efforts were centrally coordinated with standardised practices and latest guidelines. Since we have a plan in place for managing Covid-19 patients, we are now just executing it.

Private hospitals are not built to the same scale as public facilities, but we are contributing our part according to each hospital’s capacity and capability.

Our command centre tackles operational and clinical challenges in managing Covid-19 patients for optimal and timely care. We maintain close communication with the Health Ministry by sharing essential information and collaborate with their clinical experts in managing critical Covid-19 patients.

An extensive Preparedness and Safety Plan, developed at the start of the pandemic by its multidisciplinary team of consultants and management, is keeping its staff, doctors and patients safe.

Being part of the global IHH Healthcare network has also helped its Malaysian hospitals formulate a robust response to various stages of the pandemic, culled from the experiences of the various markets where the parent company operates.

IHH Healthcare Malaysia can leverage the international expertise for adaptative solutions to quickly organise and cascade information such as clinical workflows, management protocols and patient education materials, to consistently safeguard the safety and health of its staff, doctors and patients.

We stand ready to provide additional assistance as the government requires, including supporting the administration of vaccines as they become available and to receive decanted non-Covid-19 patients.

We had contributed to the fight against Covid-19 since the early days of the pandemic to alleviate the load on public healthcare institutions. 

For example, since early last year, we have allocated 200 beds across our network of hospitals, to treat non-Covid-19 patients decanted from public hospitals and pledged more than RM24 million to subsidise the medical treatment of these patients at our hospitals.

Additionally, IHH Healthcare Malaysia loaned 20 ventilators last year to public hospitals for the treatment of patients in their Intensive Care Units. Its laboratory arm, Pantai Premier Pathology, has also been supporting the Health Ministry’s drive to increase testing capacity for suspected Covid-19 cases. 

To date, more than 400,000 samples have been tested using Pantai Premier Pathology’s test kits, which have been endorsed by the Health Ministry.

As a value-added service to help patients who are unable to visit its hospitals, Gleneagles Hospitals, Pantai Hospitals and Prince Court Medical Centre have also launched their telehealth service. 

The easy-to-use, private and secure online platform consisting of eHealth Chat and eHealth Consult, connects patients to top specialists of their choice from the comfort of their home.

With the Covid-19 situation still evolving, we are prepared for the protracted course of the pandemic. Our Preparedness and Safety Plan will continually be adapted to the situation as our staff, doctors and patients’ safety is our highest priority.

Patients can continue with their existing care plans at Gleneagles Hospitals, Pantai Hospitals and Prince Court Medical Centre knowing that they are in a safe environment.

JEAN-FRANCOIS NAA is IHH Healthcare CEO.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.