KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's health system is close to reaching its breaking point following the increasing number of positive Covid-19 cases recently, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
"Our Covid-19 hospitals, including the Intensive Care Units, are nearing 100 per cent capacity. This situation needs to be addressed immediately so our nation's health system will not be paralysed," said Muhyiddin in a special address today.
Muhyiddin said one of the important aspects of the State of Emergency was the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) 2021 which allows the government to temporarily outsource private health facilities. It is in effect until the end of the State of Emergency in Aug this year.
This covers hospitals, clinics, labs, human resources, services and other assets deemed necessary to increase the pandemic's efficiency management.
"Currently, the government has kick-started cooperation with private health service providers to use its hospitals, clinics, labs, expertise, services and human resources with the aim of easing the burden shouldered by the Health Ministry.
"To do this, the concept of cluster hospitals made up of those under the ministry will be expanded to cover universities, the military and private hospitals which will be used to treat Covid-19 patients.
"Private hospitals will be put under the operations of Hospital Clusters under the public sector of the Covid-19 Integrated Control Centre," he said.
Muhyiddin said the health ministry has begun cooperation with 31 private hospitals to outsource the treatment of non-Covid-19 patients where a RM27 million allocation has been given for this purpose.
He said as of Feb 3, the private hospitals have planned to provide 1,344 beds at normal wards and 65 beds at the Intensive Care Unit.
Both government and private labs are also coming together to increase Covid-19 testing capacity where 76,805 tests are conducted daily and plans are afoot to do more.
Through the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) 2021, Muhyiddin said the government will also start to takeover other facilities with the aim of increasing Covid-19 screening and quarantine centres.