By Zaki MS
IPOH – Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) has acknowledged congestion, long waiting times and a shortage of seating at its Emergency and Trauma Department.
The Perak State Health Department (JKN Perak), in a statement issued on November 8, said HRPB had taken note of media reports highlighting the difficulties faced by patients and their family members when seeking treatment at the department.
According to the statement, a review found that the high number of patient arrivals and the time taken to secure ward admissions were among the contributing factors to congestion at the Emergency and Trauma Department.
However, the hospital clarified that patient assessments and treatments are carried out through a triage process, with priority given to critically ill patients and those at high risk.
“HRPB understands the difficulties faced by patients and their family members and takes the issues raised seriously,” the statement said.
To address the situation, HRPB has strengthened coordination between the Emergency and Trauma Department, clinical teams and wards to expedite patient assessments, treatment decisions and ward admissions.
In addition, the Bed Management Unit coordinates bed availability through the Lean Bed Tracker application to ensure more systematic management of patient placements.
These efforts are supported by daily monitoring of patients awaiting ward admission, as well as the activation of the Bed Crisis mechanism when necessary.
Meanwhile, JKN Perak said the need to increase bed capacity, treatment areas and infrastructure would be assessed jointly with the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) as part of efforts to improve hospital services.
JKN Perak and HRPB also reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring patient safety, continuity of care and access to healthcare services, with clinical priorities remaining the main consideration.
