The Maternity Hospital Kuala Lumpur, which turns 50 today, will make way for a Women and Children’s Hospital

KUALA LUMPUR:  THE Maternity Hospital Kuala Lumpur (MHKL), often referred to as "Hospital Bersalin", which celebrates its 50th anniversary today, will make way for a Women and Children's Hospital.

Plans are in the pipeline to merge the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department with the Pediatrics Department.

According to Obstetrics & Gynaecology department head Datuk Dr Ravindran Jegasothy, the maternity hospital will also be vacated for other purposes.

MHKL, built at a cost of RM5 million in 1962, was opened with 220 beds, but today it has 213 beds.

"In 1963, we had some 10,000 babies delivered a year and it went as high as 27,000 deliveries in 1988. From then on, as we reduced in size, there were fewer deliveries.

"This was because of the presence of newer hospitals like the Selayang, Serdang and Ampang hospitals," said Dr Ravindran.

Regardless of the number of beds now, the hospital is still capable of coping with a bed occupancy rate of 76 per cent.

"We now have an average of 12,000 to 13,000 deliveries a year," he said.

Although MHKL's patients have included royalties, former ministers and politicians, Dr Ravindran said MHKL's service, which were affordable and of quality, best served the regular folk.

The number of specialists in MHKL has also increased from four to 20 over the years. There are now 417 staff members.

Among the challenges faced by the hospital today is limited  space and facilities for the services which are fast expanding.

"Our patients also have higher expectations, especially when they compare our facilities with those of private hospitals.

"We may not be able to compete with the ambience of a private hospital but we sure can with the quality of services," Dr Ravindran said.

Many patients with complications have been referred to MHKL.

"We actually receive more compliments than complaints from our patients," added Dr Ravindran, who joined MHKL in January 2008.

The staff here often receive letters and cards from former patients or their relatives, thanking them for the care and attention given.

He said that every day is a memorable day at the hospital.

"To every patient, a childbirth is a historic moment, and we provide the best for them. Every time a patient walks out in good health, it is an achievement for us."

Besides healthcare services, MHKL also serves as a training centre for specialist doctors, nurses, housemen and midwives.

"We have graduates from various local and foreign universities undergoing training here," Dr Ravindran said, describing the waiting list to enter the programme as a long wait.

There are 15 trainees in the specialist programmes while the training programme for nurses only accepts six candidates.

The staff of MHKL, he added, continuously work on improving their patient care skills, especially communication skills.

Under the Obstetrics & Gynaecology department's own initiative, MHKL has employed a translator from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for its foreign patients, especially from Myanmar.

"It is important that we learn about their background and medical histories in order to give them the right medical treatment."

Unlike in the previous years where mothers give birth in an open ward, there are now 20 birth suites where they can deliver in private in the presence of their husbands.

"Every patient is considered a family member and therefore we treat them as such," Dr Ravindran said.

Read more: Giving birth to a new hospital - Central - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/giving-birth-to-a-new-hospital-1.203095#ixzz2KarGgQpI