PETALING JAYA: As more people continue to suffer from long Covid, health experts here say that treatment is prescribed based on their health issue.

       There are currently 28 public hospitals, four teaching hospitals and six private healthcare facilities offering post-Covid-19 rehabilitation.

       Associate Prof Dr Tan Toh Leong, who sees Covid-19 patients daily, said long Covid is not uncommon and afflicts one in 10 patients.

       “Usually, those with light symptoms like fatigue, gastric, diarrhoea or chronic cough, will just be treated according to their symptoms,” the Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital consultant emergency physician said in an interview.

       He said the treatment for long Covid is focused on rehabilitation and that hospitals with a rehabilitative unit will be able to provide the right care based on the patient’s condition.

       For example, he said, those who were on ventilators for a long time would be given heart and lung function rehabilitation, while those who suffer from depression are referred for psychotherapy.

       Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said: “Not all long Covid patients need rehabilitation, some may need other kinds of treatment. It depends on whether it involves the heart, lung or vessels.

       “Private hospitals are capable of managing this depending on the condition,” he added.

       Dr Kuljit said those with comorbidities were more prone to suffer from long Covid compared to those without.

       He advised those with comorbidities to see their doctor regularly and to refrain from self-medicating with over-the-counter medication.