ALOR SETAR, Dec 9 — The Health Ministry (MOH) will investigate allegations surrounding the death of a male patient purportedly not receiving appropriate treatment at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) in Sungai Petani, as circulated on social media.
In a statement today, HSAH said the hospital management had initiated an investigation into the incident and assured that every complaint would be investigated transparently.
“MOH takes note of the viral post on social media last Thursday concerning a patient allegedly not receiving appropriate treatment at the Emergency and Trauma Department of HSAH, resulting in the patient’s death.
“We take this matter seriously and will investigate to verify the claims. The investigation’s findings will only be disclosed to the patient’s next-of-kin to maintain confidentiality,” it said.
HSAH also said that the MOH would not compromise if negligence is found to have occurred during the patient’s treatment at the facility.
“The MOH would like to extend condolences to the deceased’s family, and we deeply regret the incident. Ensuring patient safety and delivering service according to set standards without neglecting customer rights are always a priority for MOH,” it said.
Prior to this, a post titled ‘sakit jantung tapi bagi ubat gastrik, 5 jam kemudian beliau meninggal dunia!!’ went viral on social media regarding a 51-year-old patient who was taken to the hospital at about 12.45 am on Dec 3 due to breathing difficulties and chest pain.
According to the post, an assistant medical officer in the emergency ward allegedly diagnosed the patient with gastric issues and asked him to wait for further examination. However, until 4.30 am, the patient remained untreated.
At 6 am, the patient’s health deteriorated, and he was transferred to the red zone. He died about half an hour later.
