NO BEDS AT ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY AT PPUM

Let me start by saying that PPUM ((Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya) did not do anything wrong, their A & E was packed.

On Tuesday at 11.30 pm I received a call from my nurse that one resident was having difficulty breathing.

The vitals showed her SPO was low. My nurse had administered oxygen for her but the resident still have difficulty breathing. After discussion with my nurses we decided to admit her. Following our procedure we called a private ambulance , which usually is faster than calling 999 because they don’t ask too many questions and transfer the call.

Ambulance came at 12.30am and two of my nurses who had already packed all the essential items and documents for admission went on the ambulance to accompany the resident to hospital. On arrival at PPUM 5 minutes later, the person in charge at PPUM A & E (Accident and Emergency) told my nurses that there was no bed available.

We immediately diverted her to Assunta Hospital, a private hospital, A & E. At Assunta, the medical team stabilized her condition and did some diagnostic tests. My nurse informed me that everything was fine.  But I told her to call me back later, because I knew it is not over yet.  Remember I said Assunta is a private hospital? Well this was where I expected problems to arise.

A little bit more about the resident, she was single and the person caring for her financially is her 70-year-old sister who lives in Kuching. Her niece was fast asleep and her phone was off.

At 1.45 am, my nurse called the sister in Kuching and the Kuching sister called me in return.  The problem was Assunta told my nurse that the resident must be admitted in high care unit. But first we must pay a deposit of RM5,000. Now I must point out Assunta did nothing wrong here because this is the procedure at a private hospital.

So, her Kuching sister panicked and called me to help, now I live in Klang and I don’t like the idea of driving to Assunta to sort things out. So, what shall we do? How shall we solve this problem? Shall we transfer the resident to General Hospital KL? But it was too far. Here is the good news. I had the experience of managing a 24-hospital admission call centre for 12 years besides managing nursing homes and 10 clinics. 

I asked the nurse to let me talk to the admission unit and I asked the person one question, “Can we do online transfer to Assunta?”  He said ,”yes.”  Great . The next question is , “If we transfer the money to you will definitely admit her?”  He replied, “Yes.”

So that was done. The resident was admitted and I told the sister in Kuching, “not to worry, we have sorted the issue and now she is now admitted.” A side noe here, the sister in Kuching did not know that we can do online instant transfer, she relied on her accounts staff.

Government hospitals running out of beds is a possibility. After all, most people try to get the best care at the lowest possible cost or no cost at all. Private hospitals need deposit that’s a reality.

My key message is that we need to prepare in terms of finance and the people who can manage odd situations. It was a good thing that this resident is staying at our place with me and team who can deal with this situation or else it will be a long Tuesday night.