Be more flexible, hospitals urged

NST: Private hospitals have been urged to exercise flexibility on deposits in cases of people needing emergency treatment.
State executive councillor for health, Datuk Dr Lim Thuang Seng, said this was especially so if people needed to be admitted to the intensive care unit.
"Private hospitals should do so on humanitarian grounds to save lives as any delay would worsen or result in their death.
He said on a complaint by K. Nalini, wife of driving instructor K. Murale who died of a heart attack at the Selangor Medical Centre on Wednesday, that delay in admittance to the ICU may have proved fatal.
"This should not happen again."
"I also understand the predicament of hospitals whose expenses have gone up and who are giving importance to collecting dues."
Meanwhile, the Umno Youth Public Complaints bureau urged the authorities to investigate the allegations.
Bureau chief Datuk Subahan Kamal said patients in emergency cases should be treated first before the issue of deposits was raised.
The MIC Youth Welfare and Social bureau chairman T. Mohan urged the authorities to ascertain if the hospital was guilty of "corporate manslaughter".
He said such charges were levelled in the West where negligence on the part of corporations had resulted in death.
Mohan said it was too much to expect anyone to have RM3,500 with them at 3am.
"Asking the wife to come up with that amount at that hour was ridiculous."