KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) is stepping up short- and long-term measures to ease overcrowding and reduce patient waiting times at public healthcare facilities nationwide.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said sustained efforts were showing positive results, with nearly 72 per cent of major hospitals nationwide reporting average waiting times for beds of under eight hours as of June, compared with 55 per cent in the previous year.
As of June 2026, 28 of the country’s 39 Type 1 and Type 2 hospitals, or 71.8 per cent, recorded average waiting times of less than eight hours for admission from Emergency Departments. These hospitals include state hospitals and major specialist hospitals that handle high numbers of emergency patients and referrals from surrounding districts.
“Relatively speaking, this represents an improvement on 2025, when 55.26 per cent of the hospitals involved recorded an average bed waiting time of less than 480 minutes,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (PH-Port Dickson), who asked how many government hospitals were experiencing ongoing congestion in their Emergency Departments, how long patients waited on average for treatment and ward admission, and what concrete steps the ministry was taking to resolve the problem and ensure prompt treatment.
Dzulkefly added that 94 of 103 Type 3 and Type 4 hospitals (91.3 per cent), including minor specialist hospitals and hospitals without specialists, had average bed waiting times under four hours.
On efforts to ease congestion at major hospitals, he said one short-term measure was the Hospital Services Outsourcing Program (HSOP).
“Since 2024, the HSOP has provided 14 outsourced services, including nephrology and cardiology, benefiting more than 50,000 patients at 75 MOH hospitals,” he said, describing it as a short-term measure.
As part of a comprehensive patient management strategy, the ministry is also strengthening Lean Healthcare initiatives, establishing Bed Management Units (BDUs), expanding day-care services and adopting the hospital cluster approach.
Responding to a supplementary question from Roslan Hashim (PN-Kulim-Bandar Baharu) on alternative measures to ease congestion at healthcare facilities, Dzulkefly said the MOH was actively exploring pilot projects involving the cottage hospital concept and step-down care.
“This includes a step-down care approach, under which patients are transferred to district hospitals once they are confirmed to be stable, without compromising the quality of care.
“We are also reviewing the cottage hospital concept, particularly for rural areas, as practised in the UK and other countries. In Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, clinics with the capacity and demand could be upgraded to provide inpatient care,” he said.
He said the MOH was also looking into implementing Integrated Clinical Care Management and global surgery, which would allow hospitals without specialists to carry out selected surgical procedures for uncomplicated cases, reducing patient congestion at larger hospitals. — Bernama
