Malaysia’s private hospitals
Epidemic draws help from private
sector as health tourism arrivals wane
COVID-19 is transforming the way Malaysia’s hospitals operate
I
As of early April,
the country’s
population
has largely
been under
lockdown, and
while such social
restrictions will
help, hospitals
are preparing
for an increase
in COVID-19
patients.
t’s no secret that public healthcare systems around
the world are now in crisis mode, with many having
to resort to creative ways to deal with the COVID-19
pandemic. In Malaysia, private hospitals have found
unique ways to take the strain off government health
centres.
Like the rest of the world, Malaysia is now dealing
with a second wave of infections that need to be
assessed and treated separately from the rest of
normal hospital operations.
As of early April, the country’s population has
largely been under lockdown, and while such social
restrictions will help, hospitals are preparing for an
increase in COVID-19 patients. The number of beds
available at the country’s 26 designated COVID-19
hospitals stands at just under 4,000, though more
emergency facilities are expected to come online.
While fighting the epidemic has largely been a
public effort, private hospitals are now coming on
board to support it, Sunway Medical Centre (SunMed)
in Kuala Lumpur among them.
According to Sunway Healthcare Group’s managing
director Lau Beng Long, the group has committed 100
beds across both Sunway Medical Centre and Sunway
Medical Centre Velocity to treat non-COVID-19
patients from public hospitals. The healthcare provider
has set aside 12 million ringgit for the purpose and
expects some 4,000 patients to benefit from the
initiative.
Patients will pay the government hospital rates,
which are lower than rates in private hospitals, with the
additional costs subsidised by Sunway.
“That way, we’re helping to free up the government
hospitals’ capacity, so they can focus on managing
the current pandemic,” Lau told Global Health Asia-
Pacific. “Overburdened hospitals not only threaten the
public’s access to healthcare, but also jeopardise the
safety of healthcare workers, impacting the capacity
of our healthcare systems.”
Another area where SunMed is active is in
mass-screening, including the critically important
identification of asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers.
The hospital has one of seven private labs accredited
to perform testing for the virus. In addition to drive-
through screening, Sunway Healthcare Group has
rolled out on-site screening services for individuals
who want to get tested at home and corporate
institutions. To support the government’s efforts in
stemming community spread, SunMed has also taken
the initiative of screening patients under investigation,
SunMed’s international patient care team continues to receive enquiries despite the travel ban
38
MAY 2020
Mr Lau Beng Long, Managing Director,
Sunway Group Healthcare Services
GlobalHealthAndTravel.com