KUALA LUMPUR – Patients in need of life-saving procedures at the state-of-the-art Sultan Idris Shah Hospital Heart Centre in Serdang have shared their experiences of being turned away due to a lack of resources.
Recent checks by Scoop at the Serdang Hospital showed the cardiology emergency department operating at full capacity, with all 15 beds in the yellow and red zones occupied.
It is understood that the department has been operating at overcapacity since late July, with heart patients having to sit on chairs instead of beds while receiving treatment.
Seeing this, patients who have been waiting months for their scheduled angiograms are sent home by doctors to make way for emergency cases.
Speaking to Scoop, Noor Amyliaa Muhd Yasin told of how she had brought her father from Perak to the hospital for his angiogram procedure on June 26. They stayed overnight here so they could arrive at the hospital at 6.30am.
Her father has been suffering from chest pains and fatigue, and Noor Amyliiaa described his need for the procedure as urgent. But they were turned away and told to come back a year later.
“We waited before sunrise and the doctor told us the procedure cannot be done because there are not enough beds and equipment. My father was not the only patient turned away, they told others to go home too.
“This procedure is important, and I’m worried my father won’t make it to the next appointment.”
While the cardiology department was apologetic and professional throughout the ordeal, she said it appeared the situation was beyond their control.
Meanwhile, Bavani M. Arumugam has been in and out of Serdang Hospital since August of last year after suffering chest pains which doctors at first diagnosed as gastritis.
A week after her first appointment in 2023, she was told by a staffer to seek treatment at a private facility due to an overload of patients.
“I did go to a private centre and spent RM600 even though I am not working. I had to pawn off my jewellery to pay the bill.
“I found out there was something more serious going on with me and took the medical report back to Serdang Hospital on the same day,” Bavani told Scoop.
Acknowledging her problem, she was given medicine by medical staff in Serdang and told to come back in February the following year (2024) because the facility had to prioritise more severe cases.
In February, she was given an appointment for an angiogram procedure on June 26 this year, but this was later postponed to another date in 2025.
The whole time, Bavani said she was living in constant anxiety as she feared succumbing to a heart attack at home or while driving her three children around.
“They gave me a new appointment a year later but also said if there is an emergency before that, to come back to Serdang. But what if I get a heart attack while I am alone at home or driving?
“Previously, I have given birth to my children in the same hospital. For other issues, I would say their facilities are really good.
“I was told their cardiology department doesn’t have enough staff when I was turned away that day.”
Another patient, Ong Pang Lim, also had an angiogram appointment on June 26 that was later cancelled.
He said there were 30 to 40 patients waiting for the same procedure on that day.
Although he was turned away, he did not have to wait a year for his rescheduled appointment, which was set for October this year.
“There’s nothing I can do but wait and be careful in the meantime. When we were told to go home, many people were unhappy.
“I have seen older patients in more serious situations compared to me. I know I don’t need the procedure (immediately), but I would say I need it soon.”
The patients on June 26 were not the only ones who had their angiogram procedures cancelled.
Sources from the hospital told Scoop that they turned away 14 patients on July 31.
“We have state-of-the-art infrastructure that we cannot use to help all our patients efficiently. Cardiology needs priority when it comes to resources.
“If you miss a dermatology appointment, you can reschedule. Having your cardiology appointments cancelled can be fatal but what can we do?
“To keep all our appointments, we need two more wards with 56 beds. Additionally, we need 55 more nurses and two more extra catheterisation labs,” said one of the sources.
Scoop contacted Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan on August 4 for a comment and he said he would reply after getting more information from his team.
On May 20, Selangor Health Director Dr Ummi Kalthom Shamsudin confirmed Serdang Hospital’s cardiology department faced several issues, particularly a non-functioning operating theatre due to electrical issues and high humidity.
In the meantime, she said, cardiothoracic surgeries are being performed in the main hospital wing, with some patients being sent to the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur and other private health facilities for treatment.
A source in the hospital’s cardiology department concurred that things were under control for the time being, but also expressed concern that the situation is cyclical and would repeat at the next influx of patients.
“It’s under control now, but it’s a cycle.
“For now, everything is under control until the patients pile up and we go through the same thing and start sending people back.
“This happens every one or two weeks,” the source explained.
When it comes to cardiovascular healthcare, Malaysia currently faces a shortage of cardiology doctors.
While the country has 338 registered cardiologists according to data from 2023, only 11% are employed by public health facilities.
Meanwhile, the numbers for cardiothoracic surgeons are staggeringly low with only 14 serving in seven government hospitals. – August 12, 2024
