Latest news with #HospitalSultanahAminah
The Star
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Star
Smart queue system expanded at JB hospital
The app to manage appointments at Hospital Sultanah Aminah's specialist clinics has reduced patients' waiting time. — Filepic THE smart queue system (SQS) currently implemented at Hospital Sultanah Aminah's (HSA) five specialist clinics is set to be expanded to 14 more there by next month. Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the digital queue system, which allows patients to check and monitor queue numbers on their mobile phones, was introduced at five specialist clinics under the first phase of its rollout. 'A total of 2,676 patients have registered for the SQS app. 'The system is being used in specialist clinics, including surgery, orthopaedics and dermatology, and we aim to expand it to 14 clinics by August,' he said when met during the handover of 200 beds by Fo Guang Shan Association to HSA in Johor Baru. The hospital has 27 specialist clinics in total and sees over 2,000 patients daily, he said. Ling: Patients only need one queue number to access multiple services under SQS. 'If patients forget to bring their appointment cards, they need not worry as their details are already available in the system as the app is synced with their appointment schedule,' he said, adding that he had personally tried the SQS and found it to be efficient. Ling said that once SQS was rolled out at the 14 clinics, it was expected to be implemented more widely by October. He said the system has proven to be helpful in managing the large patient volume and reducing long waiting hours at HSA, which is one of the busiest hospitals in the country. 'Previously, patients had to wait up to four hours to be seen. 'With the SQS, their visit can be completed within two to three hours. 'This is because they no longer need to arrive early or scramble for queue numbers,' he said. Ling highlighted that another benefit of SQS was that patients only needed one queue number to access multiple services. The Smart Queue System QR code as seen on Hospital Sultanah Aminah's Facebook page. 'Before this, patients had to queue separately for consultation and pharmacy services. 'Now, one number is sufficient, they can just scan the QR code at each point. 'QR check-in is only allowed one hour before their scheduled appointment, which helps discourage patients from arriving too early and crowding the clinics. 'Patients can track their queue status on their smartphone and carry out errands while waiting, instead of sitting for hours at the hospital,' he said. Ling said staff members would assist first-time users on the spot, especially those who were not familiar with using apps. 'Our team will assist them to download the app, register and log in for the first time,' he said, adding that users could also view all future appointments within the app. Ling said the implementation was currently limited to HSA but if it proved to be successful, it might be expanded to other public hospitals in Johor. It was reported that HSA was set to become the first public hospital in Malaysia to adopt the RM1mil SQS, aimed at reducing patients' waiting time and improve healthcare delivery.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
A 'critical' and 'serious' shortage of healthcare workers in Johor
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Johor Bahru's main hospital, Hospital Sultanah Aminah, is Malaysia's second busiest government hospital, serving more than 2,000 patients a day. – Cardiologist Ng Kim Fong worked long hours as a specialist at Johor Bahru's main hospital, tending to around 100 patients a day for years. His daily shifts, for five days a week, consisted of morning rounds serving up to 40 patients in the wards of Hospital Sultanah Aminah, and then tending up to 30 outpatients in the hospital's clinic from noon. This would be followed by tending to another 30 or so patients in the wards before he could call it a day. He switched to private practice in September 2024, after nearly two decades with the hospital. 'That was what we as government doctors had to do. It's part of our job. But in recent years, the patient numbers have been increasing,' Dr Ng told The Straits Times. He is now a consultant cardiologist at the KPJ Kluang Specialist Hospital in the Kluang district, some 100km from Johor Bahru, and his pay has more than tripled. 'There is definitely a severe shortage of healthcare workers in Johor – especially staff nurses, medical officers and specialists,' he said, noting that public healthcare staff are overworked and overwhelmed. The issue was spotlighted by Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi on July 14, when he said the state is facing a 'critical and serious' shortage of healthcare officers in major government hospitals. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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The migration to southern Johor districts is also due to the booming economy, leading to a wide availability of jobs for those not keen to work in Singapore. Added to this is the longstanding issue of Malaysian nurses and doctors seeking jobs abroad, including in Singapore, for better salaries, said Johor's top health official, Mr Ling Tian Soon, on July 10. Datuk Onn, during a visit to a government hospital ward on July 14, said that a nurse in Johor Bahru has to serve between 10 and 14 patients on every shift. Each nurse should ideally serve between six and eight patients, he added. 'The situation is not just unfair to our workers, but it is also not safe for our patients if we let this continue,' he said. Mr Ling told ST that Johor needs at least 4,600 healthcare workers – including doctors, nurses, and specialists – to meet local demand. He added that a task force was formed with Malaysia's Ministry of Health, after a meeting with its minister, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, on July 15 in Putrajaya. But, he said, the current 4,600 number might be just a short-term fix, as many more may be required. 'You hear about patients saying they have to sleep in waiting areas, and doctors needing to put extra beds in between the wards. This is happening because there are too many people and too few staff,' he told ST over the phone. Mr Ling said the two main hospitals in Johor Bahru, the 1,206-bed Hospital Sultanah Aminah and Hospital Sultan Ismail, which has 704 beds, are operating at 100 per cent to 110 per cent capacity each day. 'The actual number of healthcare workers needed in Johor may be more, taking into account the current population, so when we met the Ministry of Health, we told them to get the more than 4,000 (healthcare) positions ready first,' he explained. Health Ministry data shows that Johor has 12 public hospitals across its 10 main districts, providing more than 5,200 beds. Hospital Pasir Gudang, a new RM500 million (S$150 million) project in Bandar Baru Seri Alam – about 14km east of Johor Bahru – was initially expected to begin operations in August, but this has been delayed to 2026. Mr Ling said the 304-bed hospital needs 500 new staff members for its first phase of operations, but only 315 vacancies have been filled. Johor has about 6,800 doctors and 10,800 nurses for its more than four million residents, or roughly one doctor per 600 people, according to publicly available data from the ministry in 2022. The Malaysia-wide ratio is better, with one doctor per 412 people. Singapore, a developed nation offering high salaries, has an even lower doctor-to-population ratio, of about one doctor per 353 people as at 2023. 'The morale among healthcare workers is at an all-time low,' said Johor Doctors Association president Mohamed Amin Kader . 'Johor has suffered far too long. Besides Johor Bahru, we have Batu Pahat, Muar, Kluang, Segamat, Pontian, Mersing, each with a big population that lacks healthcare workers, with some sub-specialists even covering the entire state or two to three districts,' added the internal medicine specialist from Pantai Hospital Batu Pahat, located about 120km from Johor Bahru. Johor's population was 3.6 million just 10 years ago , according to Malaysia's department of statistics. This has jumped 11.1 per cent to 4.01 million today. The Johor Bahru district, where the state capital sits, recorded some 1.8 million people in 2024, making it one of Malaysia's biggest cities by population. In contrast, Kuala Lumpur has 2.06 million people and the Klang district in Selangor state has 1.17 million. The Johor population surge compares with the slower rise of 9 per cent in Malaysia's overall population to 34.2 million today from around 31.2 million 10 years ago. The Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Idris Sultan Ibrahim, said on July 8 that he has called on the federal government to 'expedite the approval and hiring process to fill vacancies' that are causing 'significant congestion' in Johor's hospitals. During a recent visit by ST to Hospital Sultanah Aminah, patients complained to this paper about the long waiting times despite them having appointments, the lack of staff, the ageing equipment and even the shortage of chairs for those waiting. At the hallway leading to the patients' wards, caregivers were seen seated on the floor and on concrete kerbs holding their queue slips. 'I came to the clinic at 9am for an orthopaedic appointment for my broken finger, and we got out only at 3.30pm,' said Kulai resident Mohammad Amirul Johari, 30, who met with an accident while riding his motorcycle two weeks ago on the way back home from work in Singapore. The Singapore factor in attracting healthcare professionals is another issue that Johor, and the rest of Malaysia, has to contend with over the years. Countries in the Middle East also offer good pay for medical staff. Senator R.A. Lingeshwaran on July 8 was quoted in Malaysian media as saying that a recruitment agency had offered local doctors an annual package of $110,000 plus housing and other perks, to work in Singapore. Dr Lingeshwaran, a former director at a Penang hospital, said a Malaysian medical officer with three years' experience earns a gross salary of only about RM72,000 (S$22,000) a year. Former public dentist Choudhry Sundaram Padiachee told ST: 'Low salaries, overworked staff, bad work culture, and lack of clear career prospects are among the reasons why I left, and why, I believe, many have left and are leaving.' Dr Choudhry, who worked in Hospital Sultan Ismail for nine years, now runs Habib Dental in Bandar Dato Onn, a suburb 12km north of Johor Bahru.
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
A day after spill drill, chemical-laden trailer falls into sea at Second Link
ISKANDAR PUTERI, July 25 — A trailer carrying chemicals plunged into the sea off the Second Link crossing late yesterday afternoon, following a collision with another trailer at Kilometre 0.8 of the PLUS Expressway heading from Tuas, Singapore. The Iskandar Puteri Fire and Rescue Station received a distress call regarding the incident at 5:41 pm yesterday. Operations commander Nurmala Sideli said a Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) with seven personnel from the Iskandar Puteri station was immediately dispatched to the scene. 'Upon arrival, it was found that the collision had caused one of the trailer's chemical tanks to fall into the sea,' she said in a statement last night. Pictures and video footage of the accident had circulated on social media shortly after it occurred. Senior Assistant Fire Chief Mohd Faiz Suleiman later confirmed in a separate statement that both trailers were transporting chemicals from Singapore to Malaysia. The tank that fell into the sea was identified as containing propylene glycol, a non-hazardous chemical. The other trailer was carrying sodium hypochlorite, and its tank did not leak. He reported that the driver of the first trailer suffered a hand injury and was taken to Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) by ambulance, while the second driver was unharmed. 'The Fire and Rescue Department also mobilised a Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) team to the location to assess and ensure there was no risk of chemical leakage or contamination,' said Mohd Faiz. 'Initial checks found no traces of foam or oil on the surface of the sea, indicating no leak from the trailer tank that fell off the bridge.' Traffic policemen direct vehicles at the scene of an accident at the Second Link on July 24, 2025. — Picture courtesy of Johor Fire and Rescue Department An operation to retrieve the submerged chemical tank is currently ongoing. The accident occurred just one day after Malaysian and Singaporean emergency services conducted a joint chemical spill simulation exercise at the very same location. That exercise was designed to test the effectiveness of the Joint Emergency Response Plan (JERP) under the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE) in handling such incidents on the busy crossing.
The Star
19-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Helicopter crash victim stable and moved to regular ward
JOHOR BARU: One of the five victims of the Sungai Pulai helicopter crash, Kons R.G. Devendram, has been moved to a regular ward at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) after his condition stabilised. Johor Health and Environment Committee Chairman Ling Tian Soon ( pic ) said the victim, previously in the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU), was transferred on Saturday (July 19). "Sjn Siti Latipa Khairuddin has also been moved to a regular ward at HSA, while three other victims have been discharged and will undergo follow-up treatment at their referred hospitals," he said after receiving hospital bed contributions from a non-governmental organisation on Saturday (July 19). Among the three is Kpl Adeline Liu Yan Siu, who will receive further treatment at Serdang Hospital in Selangor after being discharged on Wednesday (July 16), he said. Ling added that helicopter pilot Asst Comm Faizul Muhammad and co-pilot Supt Ahmad Bustamin Baharom were both discharged on Tuesday (July 15). He said ACP Faizul will continue treatment at Serdang Hospital, while Supt Ahmad Bustamin will receive follow-up treatment at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The five were onboard the AS355N helicopter, bearing registration number 9M-PHG, which crashed into Sungai Pulai at Gelang Patah during the Multilateral Nuclear Security Detection Exercise (Mitsatom) 2025 at about 10.15am on July 10. On Thursday (July 17), authorities successfully retrieved the wreckage of the Eurocopter AS3555 Ecureuil with the help of divers from the navy and marine police.
The Star
13-07-2025
- The Star
Three injured as two bikes collide in JB
JOHOR BARU: Three people were injured, including a man who was thrown into a drain, after their motorcycles collided here. Johor Baru Selatan OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said the incident involved a married couple, aged 46 and 41, and a 22 year-old man on Jalan Ismail Sultan heading towards Skudai at about 10.50pm on Saturday (July 12). He said the couple on the motorcycle had swerved from the left lane to the right. "The other motorcyclist coming from behind crashed into them," he said in a statement here on Sunday (July 13). He said the solo motorcyclist was thrown into a drain while the couple fell onto the road. "All three victims were sent to Hospital Sultanah Aminah and are in stable condition," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for careless driving. He said anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Johor Baru Selatan police headquarters at 07-218 2323,
