Nurse apologises to doctor for emotional FB post on firefighter's death
SHAH ALAM: “I was too emotional. I was not aware of the real facts,” said a National Heart Institute (IJN) nurse who had uploaded a comment on Facebook about the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.
Siti Syafika Amira Mohd Rasani, 27, who has served IJN for six years in the operating room said, she uploaded the controversial comment on March 22 without knowing the facts and based only on the information she got from the IJN surgical assistant Muhammad Ashraff Baruji.
“I heard Ashraff said that when he saw Adib, he asked whether the firefighter was beaten. The first time, Adib shook his head, the second time, he still shook his head...but the third time, he nodded.
“I was emotional when I posted the comment because when Adib was there (IJN) I saw his family crying. I also saw the fire personnel keeping vigil outside the intensive care unit and I felt like I was part of the family,” she said.
The nurse could not hold back her tears and started crying when questioned by conducting officer Zafran Rahim Hamzah in the inquest into the death of Muhammad Adib in the Coronary Court yesterday.
Siti Syafika Amira had in her FB account in the name of ‘Cik Miera' posted her opinion that the fireman's death was not caused by an accident but was due to assault. However, the comment was subsequently deleted.
She said her Facebook account had also been deactivated after it was deluged with ‘personal messages'.
The nurse who was the 25th witness to testify also apologised to the doctor who she had referred to in the comment.
“To the doctor, I offer my apologies. I was feeling too emotional and was not thinking of the real facts,” she repeated.
Earlier, the nurse said she was instructed to help the doctor to fix the ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine on Muhammad Adib after he was admitted to the IJN on Nov 28 last year.
Meanwhile, IJN Head of the ICU Datuk Dr Suneta Sulaiman was in the opinion that Siti Syafika Amira had neither the expertise nor credibility to give a statement regarding the victim's injuries.
Muhammad Adib, 24, who was on duty with the Subang Jaya Fire & Rescue Station's Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) unit, was seriously injured during a riot at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, on Nov 27 last year. He succumbed to his injuries on Dec 17 at the IJN.
The hearing before Coroner Rofiah Mohamad continues today. - Bernama