Family wants Shah Alam hospital to explain how father succumbed to Covid-19

KUALA LUMPUR: A family is seeking answers from a government hospital in Shah Alam after their father, who underwent colon surgery there, succumbed to Covid-19 instead.

Mohd Rum Anuar, 70, was believed to have contracted the virus at the hospital where he was admitted for colon carcinoma.

He was warded at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on May 5 and had tested negative for Covid-19 upon admission.

Lawyer Wan Azmir Wan Majid of Messrs Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak, representing Rum’s family, said a letter of demand was sent to the hospital on July 2, giving the hospital 14 days from the date of notice.

The letter, he said, was to demand that the hospital provide the family with a full report of the investigation into a complaint dated June 15, Rum’s full medical report, and the hospital’s standard operating procedure in handling patients in the ICU, visits and use of facilities.

He said the hospital, however, had yet to respond to the letter of demand, the deadline of which ended yesterday.

“We sent in this letter of demand to be fair to the hospital, to make sure that facts from my client are the same as with the hospital’s.

“If there is still no response from the hospital by next week, I will get instructions from my client to either get a discovery application from the court or pursue a legal suit,” he added.

Wan Azmir said Rum had died seven days after testing positive for Covid-19, due to severe pneumonia with underlying colon carcinoma, more than a month after he was hospitalised.

He said Rum’s wife, three sons and his daughter-in-law had also contracted the virus.

His three sons took turns to look after him, who then infected his wife and daughter-in law.

Wan Azmir said after the surgery, Rum was admitted into the male surgical ward at bed 9A, level 13 of the hospital for observation and oxygen assistance via tracheostomy.

He said his client and Rum’s daughter, Siti Syakirah, and her family were informed of their father’s condition and took turns to care for him between May 20 and June 13, without objections from the guards, doctors and nurses.

During that period, he said, Rum’s health had shown signs of improvement.

“On June 6, a doctor told the family that Rum was ready to be discharged.

“However, another doctor who examined him said the discharge had to be delayed as the oxygen level in their father’s blood was still unstable.

“On June 9, another doctor informed them that Rum’s condition was improving,” he said in a virtual press conference yesterday.

Wan Azmir said Rum was then transferred to bed 14 on level 13, next to a female patient (bed 13) in the same room.

He added that Rum’s family members alleged that the female patient was coughing and did not wear a face mask, causing them to worry about the health of their father.

“The female patient was not placed in a separate room.

“This matter had been informed by Rum’s family to the hospital, but no immediate action was taken.

“Rum’s family was only informed by a doctor that the female patient on bed 13 tested positive for Covid-19 on June 13, five days after Rum had been in the same room,” he added.

On the same day, Rum had shown unusual symptoms, different from the symptoms he exhibited while under his family’s care, including high fever and vomiting.

Wan Azmir said his client’s father had vomited five times on June 13, and another three times on June 14.

Following that incident, Rum underwent a Covid-19 swab test on June 13, and was confirmed positive on June 14.

“He was a category 4 Covid-19 patient, as he needed respiratory assistance and was transferred to the Covid-19 patient ward on level nine of the hospital.

“Rum died seven days later, on June 21, at 4.22pm.

“My client and her family would like to obtain a thorough explanation from the hospital on the facts stated, which is a serious issue and needs immediate action and investigation by the hospital,” he added.

Meanwhile, Siti Syakirah said her father, who was hospitalised for about 40 days, had tested negative all the while.

She said her father, who was also diabetic, had not been vaccinated against Covid-19.

“My father was admitted because of his colon carcinoma, and his swab test before surgery showed that he was negative.

“He spent about 40 days in the hospital, and for that 40 days, he was negative.”