Its president, Dr Kuljit Singh, said there was now no strain on the private healthcare services, especially with the low numbers of Covid-19 patients in normal wards and in intensive care units (ICU).

“However, private hospitals are ready for any increase in the number of Covid-19 patients like what we experienced in the middle of last year,” he said in a statement today.

“Though treatment of Covid-19 in private hospitals is largely out of the pocket of the patients as not all insurance would cover this condition completely, the private hospitals were filled to the maximum of the allotted beds both in normal and ICU wards during the Delta wave last year.”

He said private hospitals were functioning almost like normal, treating non-Covid-19 patients. They were also taking part in flood relief programmes, including providing temporary relief centres, and administering Covid-19 booster doses.

Kuljit said each hospital had its method of delivering the booster jabs and it would be best if recipients communicate directly with the hospital to obtain the right information.

“We hope that in 2022, private hospitals could continuously support the government in treating some public hospital patients using the similar formula of decanting during the peak of the pandemic.

“This will assist thousands of patients in a month who have been waiting for treatment in the public healthcare facilities,” he said.