KUALA LUMPUR: All 23 wards in a designated Covid-19 hospital in the Klang Valley are running beyond their capacity.
A medical officer, who spoke to the New Straits Times on condition of anonymity, said there was a waiting list for ICUs at the hospital, which are currently operating at an increased capacity of around 20 beds.
"We were forced to repurpose a ward with 30 to 40 beds for ICU beds to be available. Patients can't expect full ICU care due to the number of patients, but at least doctors can intubate patients and monitor them there," he said.
"We've run out of ventilators, so we have to wait for more from other hospitals. When one unit (of ventilator) is available, we pass it to the next patient. For now, we still have enough oxygen supplies."
He also said the other 20 Covid-19 wards were operating at between 20 and 60 per cent beyond their capacity.
"Their capacity is 25 beds, we initially added five beds, but in recent months, the wards have been operating with 35 to 40 patients each.
"Previously, the male and female wards were segregated, but we have no choice but to ask mothers and children to share the same bed on several occasions. This is because the wards can hold a maximum of only 35 beds."
He said a nearby facility was also converted into a ward for those with Stage 3 Covid-19 symptoms and the facility would also be expanded to cover those with Stage 4 symptoms soon to cater for those who require oxygen aid.
All doctors and specialists in the hospital designated to treat Covid-19 patients were now assigned to the "Covid-19 pool" and were on standby to treat Covid-19 patients, he said. The wards typically have between one and three doctors on duty per shift.
"There is a shortage of resources, so we usually focus on those with better chances of survival, such as the young, instead of the very old or patients with comorbidities, but we have yet to reach a point where we are forced to choose who gets treatment and who doesn't in our ICU.
"At this stage, we can still do our best for every patient."
He, however, said in days to come, the tide might shift as he believed the new infections coming in would require more people requiring oxygen aid.
"We can't say if it is because of the new strain yet, but we have been seeing a lot more pregnant women come in with Covid-19, while the number of brought-in dead cases have also risen over the past one to two months.
"The only thing that can help us now is an acceleration of vaccination rates. If we don't do this and don't follow standard operating procedures (SOP), sooner or later, we will be going the way of India.
"Now, we can still get ventilators and replenish our oxygen supplies, but we are on the brink now.
"The only thing holding everything are the doctors, nurses and hospital workers."
He said he felt disheartened when reading about politicians allegedly breaching the SOP, which could set a bad example for the public, leading to an exponential rise in infections.
Many doctors, he claimed, also experienced mental breakdowns, with some citing their intention to resign due to burnout. Subsequently, he said, research into anti-viral treatment for Covid-19 patients had been stalled due to the daily onslaught of cases.
The doctor, however, said there was some hope in the government's call to private hospitals to increase their Covid-19 wards and ICU capacity for the patients.
"I hope they (private hospitals) can cap the treatment charges to RM5,000 (per patient) to make this a viable option.
"At this stage, together with an accelerated vaccination plan, this is the only thing that can save us."
Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said private hospitals would do the best within their capacity to increase the number of beds.
"However, this will be based on the capacity of individual hospitals, without compromising the clinical outcomes of the patients. The memo from the Health director-general also emphasised this fact."
He said there had been an increase in patients seeking Covid-19 treatment at private hospitals recently and that the facilities had no more beds to offer.
"We, however, have a good working relationship with all private hospitals, as we accept transfers of patients from other private hospitals in the country."