NST BUSINESS
KUALA LUMPUR: IHH Healthcare Bhd has allocated 200 beds across its network of 15 Pantai and Gleneagles hospitals in Malaysia to treat non-Covid-19 patients decanted from public hospitals.
The company also pledged more than RM24 million to subsidise the medical treatment of public hospital patients at the Gleneagles and Pantai hospitals.
IHH chief executive officer of Malaysia operations Jean-Francois Naa said the group was supportive of the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) efforts to manage the Covid-19 outbreak.
"By allocating 200 beds to take in patients from public hospitals when the need arises, we help ease the burden on the public healthcare system and enable the health ministry to focus on treating Covid-19 cases," Naa said in a statement today.
Additionally, IHH loaned 20 ventilators to public hospitals for the treatment of patients in intensive care units (ICUs).
The ventilators are currently stationed at the respective public hospitals for as long as the hospitals need them during this outbreak.
IHH’s laboratory arm in Malaysia, Pantai Premier Pathology, also supports the MoH drive to increase testing capacity for suspected Covid-19 cases.
IHH said to date, more than 10,000 samples had been tested using Pantai Premier's test kits, which were endorsed by the ministry.
"Since January this year, all Pantai and Gleneagles hospitals in Malaysia have implemented strict safety precautions to protect its patients and staff which includes limiting entry points, screening and temperature taking, imposing visitor restriction and sanitising high-touch and common areas," IHH said.
Pantai and Gleneagles hospitals have also set up designated areas within the hospital grounds to screen patients.
This is for effective source control to enable the hospitals to identify patients with symptoms of Covid-19, isolate the patients to prevent any spread of the infection and thereafter manage the case properly.