Negri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Dept staff charged with using fake MCs

Three civil servants of the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department (JHEAINS) were charged at a magistrate's court here today, to using fake medical certificates (MCs).

Mazlan Ahmad, 48, Rosyanizam Yahya, 38, and Muhamad Hafiz Mohamad Sarpan, 33, pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Rahimah Rahim.

Mazlan faced three charges of using fake MCs between Nov 2 and Dec 12, last year while Muhamad Hafiz faced four counts of using fake MCs between Feb 27, 2014 and Nov 11, last year.

Rosyanizam faced 13 counts between Dec 22, 2014 and April 18, this year.

All the offences were committed at JHEAINS.

Rahimah allowed all three accused bail of between RM1,200 and RM1,700 for each charge in one surety. Their families posted bail.

The court set June 21 for re-mention of the case.

The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ainnan Mohd Rasid and Siti Khadijah Mohd Pisol.

The accused were represented by Iwana Sakinah Mohd Lajis from the Legal Aid Foundation.

- Bernama

Uncle: Doctors delayed certifying Tinasha's death

The family of deceased teenager G Tinasha claim that her suffering was prolonged as doctors purposely kept her on life support despite knowing she was brain dead.

The 14-year-old passed away in Petaling Jaya's Assunta Hospital on Nov 21 last year after being admitted on Nov 16 for a fever.

Her death was shrouded in controversy with the family alleging medical staff were negligent in preventing her death and then delaying in confirming her death.

They said after pressing several months for the detailed medical report, they finally received it three weeks ago and were shocked to learn the brain death test was done thrice on Tinasha, although the Malaysian Medical Council’s (MMC) guideline calls for only two.

It states that a person should be declared brain dead after two tests done for ‘Brain Death Certification’ with the second six hours after the first.

The guideline also states that a “person certified to be brain dead is dead” and “the non-recognition either through ignorance or choice” can be construed as unethical.

“If the law states that after the second test she should be declared dead, why didn’t they do so? It is unfair to us to keep her alive even when she was gone,” said Tinasha’s uncle, I Ramesh.

"We believe the doctors could have prolonged certifying her death," he added.

Tinasha’s mother, I Uthayabavani (left), said the family had no idea the second and third tests were administered until they received the medical reports.

She and Ramesh were speaking at a press conference today at their home in Petaling Jaya.

She added the family has already lodged a complaint with the Private Practice Control Unit (CKAPS) under the Health Ministry and also the MMC.

The MMC has fixed a hearing on Tinasha’s case for April 16 to probe the matter further.

Up in arms

Tinasha’s family are also up in arms over not having received their daughter’s post-mortem certificate despite it being almost four months since her death.

“Every time we ask, they tell us it is further delayed by several weeks. We have already gone there a couple of times already,” Ramesh told reporters.

Meanwhile, the family also alleged that the hospital bill of over RM50,000 charged to the girl’s insurance company contained extra charges for procedures and drugs that were not administered.

“Some of the medicines that we were being charged were not even given by the doctors to her. The same goes for some of the procedures we saw in the itemised bill,” alleged Uthayabavani who claimed she was with Tinasha (right) the whole time during the ordeal.

They said they found discrepancies in the types of medicines that was given to her and the amount for with they were charged as compared to prices outside.

They also alleged for some of the procedures billed, they had no recollection of the doctors administering them,adding when they consulted their own doctors, they were told they were unnecessary.

The family has already lodged a formal complaint with the insurance company to investigate the discrepancies and were told the process would take a month to complete.

CEO denies accusations

When asked if the family was going to pursue the issue and sue the hospital, the family said a legal suit would only be the last resort.

“We are not in it for the money [...] we want to utilise available avenues first for our case to be heard. Suing will not get the case anywhere.

“Let our daughter’s death be a sacrifice so that it can shed light on the various issues surrounding it so that no other family has to go through it,” said a grieving Uthayabavani.

Assunta Hospital chief executive officer Peter Leong when contacted today, denied the accusations of negligence and instead encouraged the family to go through proper channels if they were unhappy with the treatment Tinasha received.

“If they do have any such allegations, they can lodge a complaint and let the Health Ministry or MMC investigate,” he said.

Minister: Dead teen’s kin should get medical report

Assunta Hospital should provide the parents of deceased teenager G Tinasha with the full medical report, said Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam.

“It is their right,” he stressed, adding that it was normal procedure to provide a thorough report on what had transpired.

Tinasha's parents blamed the private hospital for their 14-year-old daughter’s death, claiming that the medical staffs were negligent in treating her.

They also claimed that the hospital refused to furnish them with the medical report because of the media blitz.

However, the Petaling Jaya-based hospital had denied the allegations.

Subramaniam said that he had already directed the Private Practice Control Unit (UKAPS) to investigate the case and is awaiting their report.

“I have instructed UKAPS to call up Assunta Hospital and do a thorough investigation to see whether there is actually any lapse in the way they handled the case.

“That process is going on now and I have not got the final report of the investigation yet,” he added.

Alleged discrepancies

The health minister said UKAPS would be looking into the matter of alleged discrepancies between the medical report given to the parents and the one sent to the insurance company.

“There is a difference in the reports which were given. We will also handle that in the investigation.

“If at all we find that the reports were purposely doctored, then we will take action,” he added.

Two police reports against the hospital have been lodged and the family plans to file another over the medical reports.

The family claimed that the report given to them only contained the chronology of events from the time Tinasha was admitted to the hospital up till her death, five days later.

According to the family, the report that was handed over to the insurance company was more detailed, which included medical specialist’s reports.

However, Subramaniam also took a swipe at Tinasha’s parents for posting their grouses on Facebook before lodging an official complaint with the ministry.

“The public sometimes think that when they post about an issue on Facebook, it has already been reported.

“So this particular case became viral on Facebook, but officially they (the parents) did not come to report (to us),” he said.

Assunta Hospital has strenuously denied that their medical staffs were negligent in treating Tinasha.

Tinasha's family meets health minister

 

The family of G Tinasha, whose death is being blamed on hospital negligence, met with Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam at his office in Putrajaya yesterday.

According to the deceased’s uncle I Ramesh, the minister had advised the family to file a complaint with the Private Practice Control Unit (UKAPS), which is under the ministry.

"We lodged the complaint after meeting with the minister," he told Malaysiakini.

Following this, Ramesh (left) said the family held a two-hour meeting with the UKAPS director.

"The director told us that UKAPS will be doing a detailed investigation on this matter," he added.

Tinasha's parents have blamed Assunta Hospital for their 14-year-old daughter’s death, claiming that the medical staff were negligent in treating her.

The Petaling Jaya-based private hospital had denied this.

Meanwhile, Ramesh said the family also lodged an official complaint with the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) as well.

He added that the family would be meeting with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) today to explain their case.

"I really hope they can take action immediately," he said.

Tinisha's parents have since filed two police reports against the hospital. The second report was lodged when they could not obtain the medical report.

Ramesh had claimed that the hospital deliberately refused to hand them the report because the family took their grouses to the media.

However, Assunta Hospital chief executive officer Peter TL Leong said the family needed to follow proper channels to get the report.

MMA later dismissed the hospital's reasoning, explaining that since Tinasha was underage and under the custody of her parents, the family was entitled to the report.

Minister: MMC to probe doctors' 'negligence'

 

The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) will investigate reports concerning professional negligence of doctors, said Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam.

"After investigation, if a definite case of negligence is found by the peers then action can be taken to warn, suspend, or de-register the doctor," he added.

Subramaniam was responding to a query by Malaysiakini if the ministry is probing the case of teenager G Tinasha, whose parents claimed had died due to the negligence by Assunta Hospital's medical staff.

The parents have since filed two police reports against the private hospital located in Petaling Jaya.

They lodged the second report two days ago after failing to obtain their 14-year-old daughter's medical report.

Tinasha's uncle I Ramesh said the hospital told the family that the report is being withheld because of the media blitz.

Assunta Hospital chief executive officer Peter TL Leong later told Malaysiakini that the family must follow proper channels to obtain the report.

However, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) had dismissed the hospital's explanation, saying the parents were entitled to the report.

Assunta denies allegation

Meanwhile, Subramaniam said the conduct of the hospital fell under the Private Hospitals Act.

"And any omissions or irregularities found will be dealt with by the provisions of the Act," he added.

On the issue of compensation, the minister said such claims will have to go through the judicial process.

Assunta Hospital has denied that its medical staff was negligent in treating Tinasha.

According to Leong, his staff had followed procedure.

He also accused the teenager's parents of refusing to agree to an amicable solution.

MMA: Tinasha's parents entitled to medical report

 

Based on the standard operating procedure, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said that Assunta Hospital should hand over the medical report to deceased teenager G Tinasha's parents.

"As the girl is underage and under the custody of her parents, the medical report should be given to the parents directly according to the guidelines of the Healthy Ministry," MMA president Dr H Krishna Kumar told Malaysiakini.

He said the parents need not to abide by the private hospital's demand of sending in a formal write up through the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

"This is not necessary for the parents to follow. If the hospital fails to give the report to them, they can take legal action against them," he added.

Yesterday, the parents of the 14-year-old student filed another police report against the hospital after failing to obtain the medical report.

Tinasha's uncle I Ramesh claimed that the hospital was withholding the report because the family went to the media.

However, Assunta Hospital chief executive officer Peter TL Leong said that the family had to follow the proper channels.

Last Friday, Tinisha's parents I Uthayabavani and B Ganesan Rao had accused the hospital of negligence resulting in their daughter's death.

However, Leong had dismissed this, saying the medical staff followed procedure and accused the parents of not wanting to agree to an amicable solution.

MIC Youth: This is a shame

Meanwhile, MIC Youth criticised Assunta Hospital for delaying the medical report.

In a statement MIC Youth leader C Sivarraajh lambasted Leong for his "rude and arrogant" response.

"It is a shame that Assunta Hospital is behaving in this manner all because of one man who can’t handle the parents in their moment of grief.

"I have never heard of a 'proper channel' to get a copy of the medical report. I have also never heard of getting the medical reports through the Health Ministry," he said.

"They are prolonging the parents' anguish and bereavement by giving them the run around, which shows they are not transparent and professional," he added.

Sivarraajh said that MIC is also willing to offer help to the family including legal services.

---

KAMLES KUMAR is a trainee reporter with Malaysiakini.

'Medical report withheld due to media blitz'

 

Parents of G Tinasha, who passed away on Friday, have a filed a second police report against Assunta Hospital after failing to obtain their 14-year-old daughter's medical report.

"We filed a second report around midnight at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters.

"We are also going to appoint a lawyer to help us," Tinasha's uncle I Ramesh told Malaysiakini.

He claimed that the private hospital's management told the family that the medical report cannot be released to them because they went to the media.

Ramesh (left) said previously the hospital promised the family that the medical report would be ready by last Friday.

"We are already a victim, they are making it even worse by not giving us the closure we need from the medical and post-mortem reports," he added.

As for the report on the post-mortem, which was conducted at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UUMC), Ramesh said the family was told that it would be ready in the next few days.

Hospital CEO: Follow proper channels

Meanwhile, Assunta Hospital chief executive officer Peter TL Leong said the family needed to go through the proper channels to obtain the medical report.

"We have told the family that we cannot just give the report to them.

"They have to go through formal channels and do a formal write up through the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)," he said.

Leong told Malaysiakini that the post-mortem report would be forwarded to the Ministry of Health first.

"We are still awaiting for the post-mortem findings. After that, we will be guided by the ministry," he said.

However, Leong refused to comment when asked if the hospital had earlier promised the family to give them the report on Friday.

Last week, Tinisha's parents had accused the hospital of negligence resulting in their daughter's death.

However, Leong had dismissed this, saying the medical staff followed procedure and accused the parents of not wanting to agree to an amicable solution.

---

KAMLES KUMAR is a trainee reporter with Malaysiakini.

Did hospital negligence cause 14-year-old’s death?

Tinasha Ganesan Rao is declared brain dead by a private hospital within eight hours of admission for a fever.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: From fever to fits, then death. That was how 14-year-old Tinasha Ganesan Rao spent the last few days of her life when her parents took her to Assunta Hospital to treat her fever.

The members of her family, who are completely distraught, are demanding answers from hospital personnel as to how their daughter ended up brain dead within eight hours of admission after suffering fits.

Speaking to reporters, her parents also expressed their frustration as to why they are not getting any specific answers to questions asked.

Tinasha’s mother, Uthayabavani Inthirarasa, 46, who was with her daughter throughout the ordeal, said the family lodged a police report this morning and were currently awaiting the hospital’s response as to how and why their daughter died.

She explained, ”We had three meetings with the hospital, posing many questions only to have the standard ‘I’ll get back to you on that’ answers.”

Saying they may have lost their “angel who was young and full of life” because of incompetence, Uthayabavani added, “We want to bring up the issue and get justice on this matter to help others who may face this situation, especially young children like Tinasha.”

The Petaling Jaya Assunta Secondary School student passed away at 11:40am this morning, shortly after several of her family members gave a press conference accusing the hospital of negligence.

Meanwhile the chief executive officer of the hospital, Peter TL Leong, maintained that all hospital procedures were followed and that Tinasha’s nausea was treated with the usual medication for such cases.

Leong also said that the hospital was eagerly awaiting the results of the post-mortem so that everyone could know for certain what caused the girl’s sudden death.

He added that it was also too early for Tinasha’s parents to suspect the hospital of negligence and rather than take their suspicions to the media, they should have filed for malpractice instead.

Relating the sequence of events leading to her daughter’s demise, Uthayabavani recalled taking a feverish Tinasha to the hospital at 8:30pm last Sunday.

“She had a fever that was slightly high, nothing too worrying; but I took her to this hospital instead of a clinic just to be safe,” she said.

“She was given one injection and two fever tablets in the span of three hours while waiting for admission.”

She added that by 11.30pm, after Tanisha was admitted, she vomited.

She said, “I went into the bathroom to clean up after her only to realise my daughter was given another injection after she threw up, without my consent.”

Tinasha’s father, taxi driver Ganesan Rao Balakrishnan, 47, who broke down repeatedly when talking about his daughter struggled to relate how Tinasha was given a double shot of fluids to stop the fits she later developed around 2am.

“At around 4am, Tanisha was put on oxygen to relax and next thing you know, by 6:50am they were performing CPR and trying to revive her.

“About an hour later, the specialist who showed up for the first time since admission said there were too many complications and by 3pm Monday afternoon Tinasha was declared brain dead,” he said.

The death of their beloved daughter has left Uthayabavani and Ganesan completely distraught and extremely confused as to why there were still so many questions hospital personnel were refusing to answer.

“We have many questions such as why the specialist told us later at one of our meetings that she was unaware of Tinasha’s condition and that she was not aware of any medical prescriptions given to her between the time she admitted Tinasha until 7:45am,” the girl’s father said.

“Is it the right SOP to not be in communication with the specialist on patients’ condition? How come some of the medication was given without our consent?”

Also present at the press conference was Tinasha’s uncle, Ramesh Inthirarasa, 42, and aunt Suthashini Inthirarasa, 42, who described their late niece as “bubbly, full of life, loveable”.

“To have someone so young taken away in a matter of hours over something that started with a fever… we cannot digest this, we will never accept how this escalated so quickly, and just like that, we’ve lost our baby,” said Suthashini.

Tinasha’s body is currently at University Malaya Medical Centre for a post-mortem.

Parents blame hospital for teen's death

Parents blame hospital for teen's death

Minutes after a press conference during which the anguished parents of G Tinasha accused a private hospital in Petaling Jaya of negligence, the Form Two student passed away.

Tinasha, 14, who was suffering from fever, was taken to Assunta Hospital on Sunday night by her mother, I Uthayabavani.

"She was admitted at the emergency ward around 8.30pm. Around midnight, my daughter complained of headaches and felt nauseous.

"A nurse then administered a medication, on the instruction of a medical officer present," Uthayabavani (right) recalled, in between sobs.

The 46-year-old housewife believes her daughter could have been given the wrong medication.

Around 5am, Tinasha suffered a cardiac arrest and her oxygen levels dropped drastically, forcing the medical staff to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and she was put on life support.

Tinasha's uncle, I Ramesh (left), who was also present at the press conference, described his niece as an active teenager, who participated in various NGO activities.

"Only last week, she was practising for a school concert.

"She wore a mock crown on her head, and was running around the house and showing it to everyone," he said, unable to hold back his tears.

Uthayabavani and her husband, B Ganesan Rao, a taxi driver, have also filed a police report against the hospital.

The uncle also said the medical officer  in charge of Tinasha was not at all bothered about her condition.

"We told the medical officer that she seemed to be motionless and her pupils were not moving.

"The medical officer replied that it was a side effect of the medicine and there was nothing to be worried about," Ramesh said.

Uthayabavani, who was present at her daughter's bedside the whole time, said the medical officer did not even check her at all.

"The medical officer stood from afar and assessed her. He said that he assumed that she looked fine from her breathing," she said.

'Physician-in-charge not aware of happenings'

Ironically, Ramesh said the physician who was in charge of Tinasha was not aware at all of the happenings until she was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after her resuscitation.

"The physician specialist in charge of Tinasha was not aware of what was happening. No one told her anything, even the medicine administered was not approved by the specialist," he said.

The grief-stricken parents said they had a couple of meetings with the hospital administration, including its chief executive, but all to no avail.

Ramesh said the hospital even advised that not much could be done about Tinasha's condition and requested them to take her off life support.

"They told us that we were prolonging the agony of the child if we wanted her on the machine. They offered to provide an ambulance for us to take Tinasha home and let her pass away in a natural state," he agonisingly added.

Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran (left), who organised the press conference. said what happened was indeed tragic and the hospital's standard operating procedure (SOP) was doubtful.

"This is a very tragic incident that should not happen to anyone. We still have not got any satisfactory answer from the hospital’s side.

"The SOP of the hospital is questionable. The hospital should not cover-up, it should share everything with the family," he told reporters.

Assunta Hospital has denied any negligence on the part of its medical staff and claimed that procedure was followed.

Hospital: No negligence in teen's death

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KAMLES KUMAR is a trainee reporter at Malaysiakini.

 

Medicine worth RM1.2mil stolen from KL Hospital

 

AUDIT REPORT The Auditor-General’s Report 2013 has revealed that medicine stocks worth RM1.21 million were stolen from Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).

It also said Penang Hospital (HPP) lost RM240,000 worth of medicine stocks due to theft.

In November 2011, 68 medicine stocks amounting to RM1.21 million were stolen from the stores of the HKL’s neuroscience as well as urology and nephrology pharmacies.

A police report on the incident was lodged on Dec 27, 2011.

Part of the stolen medicine stocks, worth RM740,000, was found in January 2012.

Based on investigation conducted by HKL, the theft was committed by someone from the inside who constantly dealt with the staff of the store and as such, knows the weaknesses in the store management.

The case was decided to be written-off while disciplinary action will only be taken against civil servants after police investigations are completes, the Audit Report noted.

In December 2013, a Shimadzu control panel was stolen from the radiography room of the diagnostic imagery department of HKL.

The control panel was one of the components of the general x-ray equipment, which is worth RM300,000.

“As the control panel had been stolen, the general x-ray equipment can no longer be used,” the Audit Report states.

It also noted how there were recurring cases of four types of assets, namely air-conditioning compressors, syringe pump, physiologic monitoring system and pulse oxymetres, being lost.

A total of 97 units of these assets, worth RM610,000, were lost.

Based on safety inspection reports prepared by HKL’s security division, the urology and nephrology department as well as the physiotherapy department, outpatient treatment centre, paediatric institute and forensics institute are high risk areas where air conditioning compressors constantly go missing.

As for the theft that occurred in Penang Hospital, 694 medicine stocks worth RM242,125 were stolen in February 2013.

A final report was issued in July 2013 and the hospital is awaiting further action from the relevant authorities.

Kok says it again: Kamalanathan must apologise

The Seputeh MP calls for full release of facts and figures on public university intake of medical students.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP vice-chairperson Teresa Kok today reiterated her call for Deputy Education Minister P.Kamalanathan to apologise to the public for “making a false claim” that the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) requested a reduction in intakes of medical students to public universities.

In a media statement, Kok also said the “public are entitled to ask if there have been intentional moves to try to avoid giving the accurate and full facts to them.”

The MP from Seputeh was responding to Health Minister S. Subramaniam’s denial that MMC had any role in the annual reductions of intake since academic year 2011/2012.

Figures disclosed by Subramaniam showed that 1,550 places for medical students had been allocated to 11 public universities but only 919 had been filled so far. Referring to this, Kok asked, “Why have they decided to only accept 919 students? Since the question of qualified applicants does not arise as many top scorers have complained of not being offered the medical programmes, could fund shortage or lack of staff be the issue?”

Kok called on Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to “show transparency and reveal the full facts and figures” on the intake of medical students by public universities.

Another DAP MP, Teo Nie Ching, said in a separate statement that increasing the intake numbers alone would not solve Malaysia’s lack of properly trained medical professionals.

“We need to ensure the students have adequate training at a later stage,” she said

Top scorers cannot become doctors

Top students offered nursing courses instead of medical degrees.

GEORGE TOWN: The DAP has urged the Cabinet to immediately address issues of top scorers being denied their preferred courses and the unfairness of sudden and drastic decrease in university intakes.

Its national vice-chairman M.Kulasegaran argued that huge decrease in intake had denied many qualified students their university places.

“Is this a fair and right policy for Malaysia which aspires to be a developed nation by 2020?” asked the DAP leader, who is also the Ipoh Barat MP, in a statement here today.

He said some top students have openly claimed that they were offered nursing instead of medical studies.

He claimed that a science stream student from Selama with of 3.5 CGPA result was offered an arts course to study human resources management.

“Apparently this form of mismatch is numerous.”

“A science student being given an arts course.”

“Hence many declined these courses,” clarified Kulasegaran.

Although top scorers being denied their preferred courses was not new, he said there had been past allegations of lack of a level playing fields for non-bumiputra students.

He said the government must be totally transparent with intake details to convince the students that they had lost out to those who were better qualified.

After a few top scorers publicly complained of their failure to obtain medical programmes, Deputy Education Minister P.Kamalanathan explained that the government had offered places to only 418 brilliant students to take up medical studies (first degree) at public institutions of higher learning for this year’s intake.

A total 1,163 students with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.00 applied to do medicine.

Kamalanathan said the limited number of offers was meant to control the number of new medical graduates and avoid a flood of new doctors in the employment market.

Kamalanathan claimed that the decision was made after discussions with the Health Ministry and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).

But Kulasegaran dismissed Kamalanathan’s explanation as unsatisfactory as it failed to address the basic issues of transparency of the selection criteria and the unfairness of sudden reduced intake.

While it was necessary for the government to prevent an oversupply of doctors, he argued that any sudden drastic reduction in intake was cruel and unfair to students who excelled in examinations.

According to media reports, he said that some 60.5% of the 68,702 applicants were accepted for public university spots for the 2013-2014 academic year, while only 50.5% of the 74,071 applicants were accepted for the 2014-2015 period.

“Let me ask Kamalanathan to find out from the Cabinet Ministers on whether they will be heartbroken if their children were the top scorers, who had applied for medicine but were given nursing course.”

“Secondly, will they advise their children to accept the nursing programmes offered?” asked Kulasegaran.”

Demand exceeds supply for medical courses

The Education Ministry should disclose the limited number of places available.

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor MCA Youth Education Bureau Chief, Lawrence Low Kah Guan called for an open revelation of “the number of places offered per course per university around Malaysia.”

This was in response to Second Deputy Education Minister, P Kamalanathan’s comment on the reduction of medical course placements this year by a significant 272 places.

Lawrence said in a press statement that the data should be released prior to the announcement of the results for the students’ enrollment.

He said, “It should also be made known to the students the limited availability of ‘hot courses’ to prepare the students for alternative choices,” so that they would not end up frustrated over having their selections rejected.

Lawrence also felt that the Ministry of Education should look into an automatic acceptance of students who scored a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.0.

He said this would “relieve the issues of top scorers not being offered courses they had applied for, once and for all.”

Muslim doctors back hudud amputation

Muslim doctors are all for amputation under hudud as it will instil fear among criminals.

PETALING JAYA: The Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (Imam) has backed amputation under hudud but without administering anesthetic to inflict pain on criminals.

Imam president Dr Abdul Rahim Mohamad said such a painful procedure was vital so that criminals would repent and refrain from committing crime in the future.

“The moral of hudud is to inflict pain, fear, remorse and repentance as a lesson not to repeat the crime.

“Similarly, public execution under hudud will also deter others from committing a crime,” he said.

Recently, the Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakub announced that it would table a Private Member’s Bill in the Parliament in June to implement hudud law in the state.

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Islamic affairs Jamil Khir Baharom said the federal government would not block the move in the interest of faith.

However, many others said the move would run ultra vires to the Federal Constitution which guaranteed equality before the law.

Rahim also said the public need not fear hudud as the burden of proof under Islamic law was high.

“The process of conviction is both labourious and stringent to ensure justice is served,” said Rahim.

Abdul Rahim said the Malaysia Medical Association’s (MMA) objection was a mere knee- jerk reaction.

“The MMA was trying to usurp the powers of the Health Ministry when it said that doctors and nurses fall under the purview of the federal government and have no need to listen to state orders.

Last week, MMA president Dr NKS Tharmaseelan had said hudud amputation was against medical ethics.

Two days ago, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam had voiced his objection to hudud amputation, adding that there are no provisions to allow medical staff to perform hudud amputation.

Hudud: Doktor akan dikenakan tindakan jika terlibat, kata MMA

MMA against surgeons doing hudud amputation

The association's president says the Kelantan proposal goes against medical ethics.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has declared its opposition to a Kelantan government suggestion that qualified surgeons be appointed to amputate the limbs of convicted thieves under its proposed hudud legislation.

In a press statement released today, MMA president Dr NKS Tharmaseelan said the suggestion went against traditional medical ethics.

He said medical and health professionals had been trained since ancient times to cure and care, and to treat their patients with benevolence even if they happened to be criminals.

He added that MMA would “certainly make an official complaint“ to the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) against any doctor conducting the amputation even if he was forced to do so by the state.

“This may lead to him being expelled from the medical register as a doctor.”

He noted that under World Health Organisation guidelines it is considered unethical for doctors to even witness the whipping of criminals.

The suggestion that surgeons be appointed to execute amputation came yesterday from Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, who heads the state’s Hudud Technical Committee.

Perak MCA has also reacted to Mohd Amar’s statement. It chairman, Dr Mah Hang Soon, said in a press release that he was appalled by the suggestion.

He invoked the Hippocratic Oath, by which physicians swear to uphold professional ethical standards.

“They are trained to rescue lives, cure ailments and heal injuries, not the contrary of carrying out any surgeries that will endanger the health or forcibly render a healthy able-bodied person disabled,” he said.

“Should not the operating theatre be prioritised for patients requiring surgery rather than for punishing people deemed criminal under hudud?”

He said the Kelantan proposal was unjust to doctors because they would be penalised by the state if they disobeyed the order to amputate, and by the MMC if they obeyed.

Ibu dakwa bayi kembar meninggal kerana hospital cuai

Suaminya juga telah membuat laporan polis di Balai Polis Melang.

KUALA PILAH: Seorang ibu muda mendakwa bayi kembar beliau meninggal dunia selepas kecuaian pihak Hospital Tuanku Ampuan Najihah (HTAN), Kuala Pilah bulan lepas.

Sharifah Kalsum Syed Abu Bakar, 22, mendakwa pada 14 Januari lepas, lebih kurang pukul 2.30 petang, beliau ke HTAN kerana sakit hendak bersalin.

“Saya rasa sakit di pinggang dan berlaku kontraksi. Dalam bilik bersalin tiada doktor pakar tetapi hanya ada doktor pelatih sahaja.

“Saya merayu kepada jururawat bertugas agar mempercepatkan proses kelahiran tetapi doktor memberitahu saya, pembukaan di pangkal rahim saya ketika itu hanya dua sentimeter. Ini menyebabkan saya dimasukkan ke wad biasa.

“Selepas itu saya diberikan ubat tahan sakit dan saya terlena.

“Keesokkan harinya sekali lagi saya memanggil jururawat kerana berasa seperti hendak bersalin.

“Saya sudah tidak larat untuk menahan sakit tetapi jururawat menjawab dengan kurang sopan malah seperti memerli saya, “ kata Sharifah Kalsum.

Sharifah Kalsum turut mendakwa pada 16 Januari antara jam 6.30 petang hingga 7.00 malam, dia dikejutkan oleh seorang jururawat untuk melakukan pemeriksaan cardiotopograph atau CTG untuk mengesan kadar degupan jantung bayi.

`Degupan jantung’

“Ketika pemeriksaan CTG, saya mendengar degupan jantung sebelah kanan, manakala sebelah kiri pula tiada.

“Jururawat tersebut tidak memaklumkan apa-apa sehingga seorang doktor memeriksa saya pada pukul 7.30 pagi.

“Apabila doktor periksa sekali lagi selepas kira-kira 15 minit kemudian, degupan jantung bayi kiri tiada dan menyebabkan doktor meminta saya ke bilik bersalin lebih kurang pukul 8.30 pagi.

“Dalam keadaan panik, seorang doktor meminta pembedahan kecemasan dilakukan segera bagi menyelamatkan bayi saya,” katanya lagi.

Sharifah Kalsom menjelaskan lebih kurang pukul 10.05 pagi, bayi pertama dikeluarkan dan masih hidup tetapi bayi kedua yang dikeluarkan seminit kemudian sudah meninggal dunia.

“Bayi pertama seberat 2.33 kilogram dan bayi kedua 2.07 kilogram.

“Saya ingatkan bayi pertama saya berjaya diselamatkan, tetapi sekitar pukul 12 tengahari, suami memaklumkan kepada saya, bayi itu juga telah meninggal dunia,” kata Sharifah Kalsum dengan sebak.

Suami kepada Sharifah Kalsum iaitu Muhd Azmi Hashim, 30, berkata beliau kecewa dengan sikap kakitangan hospital HTAN sehingga nyawa dua anaknya (kembar) tidak dapat diselamatkan.

“Saya juga kesal kerana pihak HTAN masih belum menjelaskan punca kematian anak kembar saya.

“Saya hanya mahu tahu punca sebenar kematian bayi kembar saya. Saya juga telah membuat laporan polis di Balai Polis Melang,” katanya.

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Roof collapse in T'ganu: 'Where's the accountability?'

How many times must the roof of a public facility collapse in Terengganu before the authorities take action?

This was the question raised by PAS parliamentarian for Kuala Terengganu, Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad, on the third such incident this year.

The state government,  Raja Kamarul said, has still not learnt any lessons, as evidenced by the roof of the Kampung Tebauk mosque in Kuala Nerus caving in early yesterday morning.

He pointed out that no one has been taken to court over similar incidents that have occurred previously, some dating back to 2008.
                       
"It's as though we are encouraging things like these to be repeated. There must be some accountability," he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

"Are we getting value for money? Those guilty have never been punished," Raja Bahrin said.
Name all those involved
Meanwhile, PAS' Kuala Nerus MP Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali asked the Terengganu state government to name all the companies and individuals involved in construction of new mosques in Terengganu since 2009.

"If there is negligence, there must be a blacklist. The company and also the individuals," he said.

Mohd Khairuddin also urged the government to immediately release its report on the roof collapse of a mosque in Binjai Kertas, Hulu Terengganu in May this year.

"No report has been released yet. We urge the government to release a report on the collapse immediately," he said.

In February, the roof of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in the state collapsed for the second time. The first collapse was in 2008.
Meanwhile, Works Minister Fadillah Yusof said that the ministry was sending a team of experts to the state in order to investigate the collapse.

"We have formed a team of experts and we are conducting (review) throughout the nation," he said.

He said that this would then culminate in an industrial dialogue in December.

"This will avoid future incidents. We would be able to recommend to key players about what will be a good construction," he added.