PENANG Hospital receives an average of 300 patients daily at its Emergency and Trauma Department, with more than half classified as non-critical or non-emergency cases.
State Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said 7.14% of cases were classified under the red zone, requiring immediate treatment, while 19.81% fell under the yellow zone for semi-critical cases.
Green-zone cases, involving less serious conditions, accounted for 40.06%, while non-emergency cases made up the remaining 32.99%, based on statistics up to July this year.
He said this in reply to Gooi Hsiao-Leung (PH-Bukit Tengah), who asked about the current waiting times at the department, the targets for reducing them and whether the congestion was caused by a shortage of doctors or beds.
Gooi said Penang Hospital is a specialist referral centre serving the northern region, meaning its patient load extends beyond Penang’s population.
“More than half of the approximately 300 patients who visit the Emergency and Trauma Department daily are not critical cases requiring immediate treatment.
“However, we operate under a ‘no-wrong-door’ policy, so the department cannot simply turn patients away,” he said during the State Legislative Assembly sitting.
Gooi also proposed that the state government work with the Health Ministry on a pilot project to ease congestion through primary healthcare services, including opening more health clinics and extending their operating hours into the evenings and weekends.
In response, Gooi said extended operating hours have already been available at Bayan Baru and Seberang Jaya Health Clinics, as well as the two Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) clinics at Komtar and Penang Sentral.
He encouraged patients with less serious conditions to seek treatment at these facilities, instead of going to the hospital’s Emergency and Trauma Department.
He added that the state government will convey the Bukit Tengah assemblyman’s proposal to the Health Ministry to explore extending operating hours at more health clinics.
Meanwhile, he said the state government is also implementing measures outlined in the Health Ministry’s June 4, 2026 circular to strengthen patient flow management.
“These include diverting non-emergency cases to primary healthcare facilities, improving bed management and speeding up patient discharges to make beds available for new admissions,” he said.
He added that longer-term plans include the completion of Penang Hospital’s Women and Children’s Block in 2027 and its new specialist clinic and ward block in 2029, which are expected to increase bed capacity and help ease congestion.
Story by Ammar Mikhail Aamer