Hospitals target 40pc day care surgeries

August 21, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: An estimated 40 per cent of surgeries in the country are targeted for day care procedures whereby patients are allowed to return home instead of being warded after operations.

Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL), Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department chief, Datin Dr V.Sivasakthi, said the target was expected to be achieved in five years time.
She said seven major hospitals nationwide have implemented the procedure, led by the Ipoh Hospital, which recorded 1,424 cases last year, followed by the Alor Setar and Putrajaya Hospitals with 1,182 and 1,252 cases, respectively.

“The procedure requires general anaesthesia for surgery,” said Dr Sivasakthi in an exclusive interview with Bernama TV recently.

She added that in efforts to achieve the target, HKL will be celebrating World Anaesthesia Day on October 15, for the seventh time.

Dr Sivasakthi explained that the procedure could only be recommended by surgeons and there were many advantages for the patients.

“By doing day care anaesthesia, depending on the type of surgery, you just need to come in the morning on the day of the operation, get the surgery done and go back. So, obviously your hospital stay will be very brief and the infection rate very low,” she said.

Treatment cost would also be lower as the patient need not be warded, she said.

“The procedure is also useful for children who find it hard to be separated from their families if they had to be admitted to the wards. This was proven when HKL’s Paediatric Ward recorded 500 such procedures in 2011,” she said.

However, the procedure was only suitable for certain cases, said Dr Sivasakthi.

“Obviously, this kind of surgery is not suitable if you have to stay in hospital a long time ,” she said.

Commenting on World Anaesthesia Day, she said this year’s theme was ‘Surgery in One Day – What Say You” aimed at creating public awareness on anaesthesia and educating them that it was not something to be feared.

“The perception that spinal anaesthesia or extraction of spinal fluids would cause paralysis if done inaccurately is wrong. The anaesthetists who conduct the procedures are completely trained and use high-tech equipment,” she emphasised. — BERNAMA

Source: New Straits Times