KUALA LUMPUR: IHH Healthcare Bhd has called for the public-private partnership (PPP) in the healthcare system, formed during the COVID-19 crisis, to continue so that the country can better navigate any uncertainties in the future by maximising all possible resources.

       Managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Kelvin Loh said neither the public nor private sector could ever cater to a crisis like COVID-19 working in silos.

       However, if there is an PPP and other resources with more capacity in place, the country could create a better healthcare system that is more responsive, he said.

       "There is sometimes talk about, after this crisis, that we should learn how we can (manage the) public system better so that we can deal with the next crisis, we should have enough ICU beds, and so on.

       "I do not think it is ever going to be possible (without the partnership),” he said at the Public Listed Companies Transformation Webinar Series today.

       The webinar, organised by Bursa Malaysia Bhd, was moderated by Bursa CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift.

       Loh said COVID-19 was the biggest humanitarian and business crisis that IHH Healthcare has ever faced -- with the hospital operator recording a loss for the first time in its history -- but it remains committed to providing quality care for patients.

       IHH Healthcare has one of the world's largest healthcare networks, with over 65,000 employees across 80 hospitals in 10 countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, and India. - Bernama