APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said private hospitals have been treating Covid-19 patients since January by following the health ministry and international medical societies’ evidence-based guidelines.

“APHM ensures the public that none of its members have prescribed Ivermectin to their patients for the purpose of treating Covid-19 in any category.

“Private hospitals will be very cautious of using any medication which is still in its research stage without any concrete evidence of its effectiveness,” he said in a statement.

Kuljit said APHM refuted fake news on social media stating that some private hospitals had some success using Ivermectin.

He said the health ministry had wanted some of their hospitals to conduct clinical trials on Ivermectin but none of the private hospitals took part in the trials.

“Private hospitals may only use this medication upon approval from the government with detailed guidelines. However, there has been no indication on this as of yet,” he said.

Kuljit also said that private hospitals were actively managing Covid-19 patients based on their capacity and capabilities by providing manpower to mega vaccination centres and hospitals.

He said 44 private hospitals in the Klang Valley have provided 951 beds for decanting patients from government hospitals and its full capacity has yet to be exhausted.