'Proposal' to de-prioritise elderly Covid-19 patients for ICU treatment untrue
COVID-19 | As intensive care wards in Sabah come under heavy strain amid a surge of Covid-19 cases, Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Masidi Manjun denied there have been proposals to de-prioritise the elderly from receiving ICU care.
“Not true. (Patients) of all ages who require intensive care will be admitted to ICU and other related facilities throughout their treatment period,” he told a press conference in Kota Kinabalu today...
COVID-19 | As intensive care wards in Sabah come under heavy strain amid a surge of Covid-19 cases, Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Masidi Manjun denied there have been proposals to de-prioritise the elderly from receiving ICU care.
“Not true. (Patients) of all ages who require intensive care will be admitted to ICU and other related facilities throughout their treatment period,” he told a press conference in Kota Kinabalu today.
He was asked whether there have been suggestions for patients 90 years old and below to be given priority access to ICU wards and ventilators.
A similar practice had been done in countries such as Italy when demand for ICU wards far outstripped the available resources, forcing doctors to make life-and-death decisions to prioritise care for patients who are most likely to survive and live a healthy life.
This often meant that the elderly and those with severe comorbidities are less likely to be admitted to ICU when needed.
Earlier, it was reported that some Covid-19 patients had to wait up to two days before being admitted into the ICU at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
On another matter, Masidi stood by his statement yesterday that some Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms are receiving treatment at home.
“According to our records, they have been allowed to stay at home for treatment. They are being treated accordingly.
“Of course, some of them may expect immediate (treatment) but due to the rather delicate situation we are in where everybody is pushed to the limit, there may be cases where a delay might have occurred in the treatment of these patients,” he said.
When asked on how many were being treated at home, Masidi told reporters to refer the question to a Sabah Health Department deputy director.
As for concerns that patients being treated at home could pass the disease to family members and other members of their community, Masidi said it is up to the self-discipline and responsibility of individual patients to prevent this by isolating themselves.
This entails confining themselves alone in a room.
However, he added that the order for patients to be treated at home is usually issued to those living alone, or cases where several people live together but all are showing Covid-19 symptoms.
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