A viral video recording the process of transferring patients using stairs at Melaka Hospital due to unexpected damage to the external lift system at Block F of the hospital went viral on social media.
The 45-second video showed more than ten medical staff working together to carefully carry a bed with a patient lying on it down the stairs.
Twitter user @KakPotato who uploaded the video, appealed to the authorities on her Twitter account.
“Honorable Minister, please help your employees at Melaka Hospital. Patients in need of respiratory assistance have to go to the ICU, but they have to descend the stairs like this.”
She mentioned that the hospital elevator was broken and not immediately repaired, which led to the occurrence of the aforementioned incident.
Saya tidak tahu cara macam mana lagi yg terbaik untuk dapatkan tindakan segera dari pihak atasan.
— KakTato (@KakPotato) June 3, 2023
YB, tolonglah bantu staff YB di sini (Hospital Melaka)
"Pt ventilated nak t/o ICU sampai kena turun tangga macam ni YB." pic.twitter.com/k8PwHTPDTl
Response by Health Minister
Receiving the request and tag on Twitter, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa responded by saying:
“I have contacted the Director of Melaka Hospital to obtain further clarification. I was informed that the relevant elevator was repaired and completed by the JKR contractor yesterday evening.”
Pihak saya telah menghubungi Pengarah Hospital Melaka untuk mendapatkan penjelasan lanjut.
— Dr Zaliha Mustafa (@DrZalihaMustafa) June 3, 2023
Saya dimaklumkan bahawa lif yang berkenaan telah siap dibaiki petang semalam oleh kontraktor JKR. https://t.co/p2I0gyPOkw
Lifts Upgrading
State Health, Human Resources, and Unity Exco Ngwe Hee Sem told Bernama that the damaged lift system had caused limited access to several wards in the hospital, but patient transfers to other wards still need to be carried out.
“The patient transfer process via stairs needs to be implemented due to the importance and continuity of critical patient treatment,” he said in a statement yesterday (3 June).
He said that the patient transfer process was carried out under close monitoring by nurses and ward management, and the patients were safely transferred without any complications.
Therefore, he requested that all parties refrain from baseless speculation as it could cause panic among the patients.
Meanwhile, Ngwe stated that Melaka Hospital is currently carrying out upgrading works on lifts in several blocks of the hospital, and during this period, the number of operating lifts has been reduced to make way for the replacement of new lifts.
He said that the upgrading works on the lift system are divided into two phases, the first phase from October 2022 to the following July, while the second phase will begin from the following July until December.
As of yesterday, two of the damaged lifts have been repaired and are functioning under the monitoring of Hospital Melaka.
The hospital has also issued a statement on Facebook to clarify the incident.
Read more:
