RAPE VICTIM BILLED FOR TREATMENT AT GOVT HOSPITAL

13-year-old girl was charged RM430 for three-day treatment

ARAPE victim was shocked when she had to pay RM430 for three days of treatment at a government hospital. The 13-year-old girl was taken to the hospital in January by a police investigator after a report was lodged.

After an examination, the victim was admitted for further treatment.

The medical officer told her she could not be discharged until she had undergone a psychological assessment for the purpose of completing a medical report.

After being discharged, the hospital management told the victim to submit a copy of the police report for exemption of hospital bill payment.

“I have submitted two police reports to the hospital. However, after three months, I received a bill from the hospital.

“I was surprised that the bill was charged to me and not my guardians, as I am under 18,” she told the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) yesterday.

She said her father was a Malaysian, but she did not have an identity card and was, therefore, a non-citizen.

“An error was made when my dad registered my birth, which caused me to have non-citizen status. However, my two younger siblings are Malaysians.

“I have been waiting for two years for my citizenship to be granted.

“Am I not eligible for free medical service just because I was born in Sabah?” she asked.

The NSTP had earlier reported that the teenager was abused by her father. She also claimed she had been raped and abused by her cousins since she was 5.

The incidents were allegedly witnessed by her 7-year-old brother and had taken place in Kunak, Sabah, when the victim’s parents were not at home.

Her mother had taken her and her two younger siblings to the peninsula in October due to the failure of relevant parties in Sabah to resolve the case.

The teenager, who lives in Sepang, Selangor, was with her guardian at the Sepang District Police headquarters on Jan 24 to report the incident.

Examinations by Serdang Hospital specialists confirmed that there was a previous impact on the victim’s genitals.

The case was referred to Sabah police. Director-general of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said he would review the complaint.