Who are we

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya (PPUM) is a tertiary referral centre for critically ill children. The unit has eight beds and is staffed by two full-time paediatric intensive care consultants, three trainee paediatric medical officers and 22 nursing staff.

Four hundred children are admitted each year from Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Klang, Banting and rural areas of Selangor, Perak, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan. The children who are admitted are those who are at risk of dying but have the chance to recover fully if appropriate care is given soon enough. Appropriate care for these children include the use of costly medical technology to support and monitor the function of failing body systems, as well as the expertise of paediatric intensive care medical and nursing staff.

Our services

The PPUM Paediatric Critical Care Fund has the aim of purchasing equipment to support these ill children until they recover the functions of the body. It is hoped that a portion of the fund will also be used to subsidise the cost of care of critically ill children from the economically disadvantaged background.

A nitric oxide delivery system was  purchased with a public donation drive sponsored by The Star in 2001 (Sunday Star February 25 2001) and there is a need for a second nitric oxide delivery system for newborn babies.

Our objectives
The new Paediatric Complex houses a 20-bedded PICU. With this, we hope to establish a retrieval service for critically ill children. Currently, children who are referred to us from other hospitals are transported in ambulances inadequately equipped to care for these ill children in transit. Furthermore, personnel from referring hospitals are not experienced in the transport of these ill children and many a mishap occur en route from peripheral hospitals to the tertiary centre. With a retrieval service, the paediatric intensive care transport team comprising of an experienced doctor and a nurse and other paramedical staff will travel to the location of the child (usually a peripheral hospital), to perform stabilisation and retrieval. This type of services is routinely available in Australia, United States of America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Studies have shown that the retrieval system enhances the outcome of critically ill children.

Our needs

Volunteers are welcome. Please contact organisation for more information.
Description of Needs:

1) A servo-i ventilator which is used as a rescue therapy for children whose lungs are severely affected by an acute disease. This machine costs about RM110,000.

2) Pumps, costing RM5,000 each.

Cheques Made Payable to:  Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya. Please write at the back of cheque :” Paediatric Intensive Care Unit”

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Universiti Malaya Medical Care Centre