KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital (HCTM) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is expected to resume operations as a non-Covid-19 facility early next month if the number of cases at the hospital continues to decline.

       Its director Prof Datuk Dr Razman Jarmin said the number of Covid-19 patients admitted at the hospital has been declining since the beginning of September due to the downward trend of cases in the Klang Valley.

       “HCTM also recorded an increase in non-Covid cases at the Emergency Department. The recovery phase for Covid-19 patients to non-Covid-19 patients has started this week with a decrease in bed occupancy,” he said, adding that bed usage at the intensive care unit (ICU) for Covid-19 cases remains the same.

       Apart from HCTM, UKM's Children's Specialist Hospital (HPKK) in Cheras is also used as a Covid-19 hospital with about 140 patients from Categories Three to Five, while HCTM is currently treating 109 patients of various categories.

       UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman said the average daily admission of Covid-19 patients at HCTM for July was 48 people, dropping significantly in August with an average of only 19 people admitted per day.

       The number continued to decline, he said, adding that on Aug 26, 10 new admissions related to Covid-19 were reported.

       On Sept 1, five patients were admitted, and eight on Sept 2.

       According to Mohd Ekhwan, a total of 257 Covid-19 patients were treated at HCTM in August, 27 of them in the ICU.

       He said HPKK helped to reduce congestion of Covid-19 patients at hospitals around the Klang Valley especially Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, so it had not registered any decline in Covid-19 admissions.

       Mohd Ekhwan said HCTM was declared a Covid-19 hospital on March 30 last year and was tasked to treat cases from major clusters detected in the Klang Valley including the Malayan Mansion cluster and the Tahfiz Madrasah Miftahul Ulum Seri Petaling cluster.

       The teaching hospital was also selected to administer Covid-19 vaccines to UKM healthcare personnel during Phase One of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, he added. – Bernama