‘Najib getting the best care’

PUTRAJAYA: The best medical care will be given to all prisoners, including former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (pic), says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

To avoid any disputes about the standard of care and treatment being given to the Pekan MP, Najib had been sent back to Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) yesterday to undergo extra checkups and tests, he said.

“As instructed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, we will give the best standard of care and treatment to all prisoners, not just Najib. It’s our duty and responsibility.

“We will not deny the best medical care for anybody in the criminal justice system, in prison or any detention centre. We will give the best.

“Of course that includes Najib,” he told a press conference after the Malaysia Book of Records award ceremony and launch of the Record Breaking Covid-19 Vaccination: Public-Private Partnership report here yesterday.

Najib was first admitted to the hospital last Friday for an elective treatment and was later discharged in good health.

His family had pleaded to the government to give Najib proper medical treatment, saying he had developed multiple stomach ulcers while his blood pressure medication had been switched to a new type.

Khairy said that following his first admission to the hospital last week, Najib was discharged after the specialists who treated him decided that he was in a satisfactory condition to be sent back to prison and that there was no reason to have kept him hospitalised.

“He was sent again to HKL and I have informed the doctor to conduct all the necessary checks and tests needed so that there are no longer any disputes about this.

“When this report is complete, we will give it to Najib and we can also give it to the court so that there are no disputes in terms of treatment given to him,” he added.

Khairy said Najib will stay at the hospital until all the checks and tests have been done.

When asked if Najib will be okay, Khairy answered, “I’m not a doctor,” but added that he had called the hospital director Datin Dr Rohana Johan who had said that Najib was in a stable condition.

On whether Najib will be sent to the National Heart Institute (IJN), Khairy said he will not be treated there as it was the standard procedure for prisoners to be sent to only government hospitals.

Khairy also explained that claims that Najib’s blood pressure medication had been switched did not reflect the full picture.

He said that the jailed former prime minister was given a generic high blood pressure medication when he was hospitalised at HKL, but the formula was the same as the medication that Najib was previously taking.

“He used to purchase his medication from a private hospital.

“The formulation of the medicine we gave him is the same as the medicine that he used to take. We gave the same, it is just generic. Generic is just as good.

“It’s important to give an explanation as there were accusations by his aide and family members that his medication was switched to a different drug,” Khairy said.