Health Ministry probing alleged misdiagnosis leading to patient's death

ALOR SETAR: The Health Ministry is investigating allegations surrounding the death of a male patient purportedly not receiving appropriate treatment at the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani, as circulated on social media.

The hospital said its management had initiated an investigation into the incident and assured that every complaint would be investigated transparently.

“The Health Ministry 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, 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 in a statement on Saturday (Dec 9).

The hospital also said that the ministry would not compromise if negligence is found to have occurred during the patient’s treatment at the facility.

“The ministry would like to extend its 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 the ministry,” 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 12.45am 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 4.30am, the patient remained untreated.

At 6am, the patient’s health deteriorated, and he was transferred to the red zone. He died about half an hour later.- Bernama