Public hospitals in a pickle

Star: SHAH ALAM: The sudden surge in dengue cases in Selangor has resulted in a Catch-22 situation for a few public hospitals, which are already facing a critical shortage of beds.
Doctors are undecided between admitting suspected dengue patients and placing them on temporary beds along the corridors or to send home those not displaying severe symptoms of the infection.
Selangor recorded 562 new dengue cases in the first week of this year, up from 471 cases in the last week of 2006.
“Some hospitals such as the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah hospital in Klang and the Serdang Hospital are already congested and the sudden increase in dengue cases makes matters worse,” Selangor state executive councillor Datuk Dr Lim Thuang Seng told The Star.
“Our doctors are doing their best to accommodate (the suspected cases), but it is a tough battle.”
By right, he said, all suspected dengue cases must be admitted for observation and treatment. However, Dr Lim acknowledged that the lack of beds sometimes forced doctors to temporarily place suspected dengue patients on beds in the corridors.
On whether it was better to send patients who did not display severe symptoms of dengue home for recuperation, Dr Lim said there was no clear-cut answer.
“The doctors are faced with a difficult decision because some patients may not display the full dengue symptoms at the point of examination. Not all cases need admission.
“Sometimes, observation and examination need a day or two; but there are not enough beds, so doctors are forced to temporarily place the patients’ bed in corridors.
“But if the patients do not have dengue, they may be unnecessarily exposed to other bio-hazardous diseases. This is a tough call for the doctors.”
Dr Lim urged doctors to thoroughly examine each patient before arriving at a decision.
For those patients advised to go home, he suggested that family members be more vigilant and immediately send the patient back to the hospital if their condition take a turn for the worse.
He hoped the burden on Tengku Ampuan Rahimah hospital would be reduced with the construction of a hospital in Shah Alam.
“The Federal Government has already approved the project. We hope construction of the hospital will start this year.”