THE family of the patient who died on the floor of Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani, Kedah, has disputed the state health director’s explanation on the matter, Malaysiakini reports.
  
They have also filed a police report on the death of K. Ehambaram, 74, and want a post-mortem done on him.
 
They said Ehambaram, 74, did not die due to severe Covid-19 pneumonia as stated by the state health department director, Dr Othman Warijo.
  
They claimed that it was negligence on the facility’s part, and refuted Othman’s remarks that they were fully informed of the incident and had accepted the hospital’s explanation.
 
Civil society group Tamilar Kural Malaysia chairman David Marshel, who is helping the family, believed there was manipulation in the hospital’s statement.
 
“The only thing they informed the family was the time and cause of death. Not about the incident,” said Marshel in the report.
 
He clarified that the family had never asked for the video of Ehambaram, which went viral on WhatsApp yesterday, to be stopped from being circulated, as claimed by Othman.
 
The 38-second video showed Ehambaram on his knees on the floor of the ward trying to pull himself up by holding on to a bed.
 
The clip was cut short and continued with footage showing the patient lying motionless on the floor with a urine bag still beside him while another patient tried to approach and examine him.
 
The individual who uploaded the video alleged the patient was left unattended by ward staff until he was confirmed dead 40 minutes later. – August 31, 2021.