Fireman Adib told to avoid browsing internet too much, doctor testifies

SHAH ALAM: Fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim was told to avoid browsing the internet too much when he was in possession of his mobile phone as doctors were worried that he might come across reports about him, the coroner's court was told.

National Heart of Institute (IJN) intensive care unit (ICU) director Datuk Dr Suneta Sulaiman said that doctors gave the 24-year-old fireman some rules when they gave him his mobile phone.

Dr Suneta is the 15th witness called to the inquest into the death of Muhammad Adib, which is now in its 10th day.

She said that Muhammad Adib was communicating using sign language and a whiteboard at first, but had later asked doctors for his mobile phone.

"He wrote on the whiteboard 'nak phone (I want my phone)' and he made a signal for phone using his hand. So I asked, 'Adib, do you want your phone' and he nodded in reply," she said.

Dr Suneta said that she discussed with her team whether Muhammad Adib should be given his phone, and the team of doctors decided to let him have his phone.

"However, the team asked me to lay down some terms regarding phone usage with Muhammad Adib," she said.

Dr Suneta said the rules included who the fireman could communicate with and what he could access on the internet.

"I told him that he could use the phone to communicate with his immediate family members and his fiancee.

"I told him to not look at the internet so much, and I told him that there are a lot of reports on the internet about the events that led to him being in the hospital," she said.

When asked by DPP Zhafran Rahim Hamzah to give her professional opinion on Muhammad Adib's state of mind in the hospital, Dr Suneta said it varied depending on the level of medication he was on.

"During that time, my impression was that he understood and he was aware. I asked him whether he agreed with the rules. He nodded his head, and he understood," she said.

To questions from the lawyer representing Muhammad Adib's family, Mohd Kamaruzaman A. Wahab, Dr Suneta said that she asked Muhammad Adib if he remembered what happened to him.

"I had asked what happened to him, I said, 'Do you remember what happened to you?' He shook his head," she said.

Judge Rofiah Mohamad sits as coroner for the inquest, which is being held at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.

Muhammad Adib was critically injured when he and his team members from the Subang Jaya fire station responded to an emergency at the Seafield Sri Mariamman Temple where riots were happening last November.

He was taken to SJMC before being transferred to the IJN for further treatment.

He died at IJN on Dec 17, at 9.41pm due to acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to blunt chest trauma with multi organ failure and sepsis.