Call to consider doctor’s statement on Zulfarhan case

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) hopes the Health Ministry will give due consideration to a statement by the doctor who attended to National Defence University of Malaysia student Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain at a private clinic.

Its president, Dr Ravindran Naidu, said he believes the doctor had done the right thing at the clinic where Zulfarhan sought treatment.

“What the doctor saw then might have been very different from what was seen at the post-mortem.

“If the injuries were consistent with the history given by the victim, the doctor might have had no suspicion at all of any unlawful act being committed,” Ravindran said in a statement yesterday.

Ravindran added the association hoped the ministry would come up with guidelines to ensure such incidents do not occur.

Zulfarhan, 21, died at the Serdang Hospital on June 1 after allegedly being tortured by fellow students, reportedly over the theft of a laptop.

The victim was earlier believed to have received treatment twice at private clinics.

It is learned that the doctors who treated him did not direct him to be immediately taken to a hospital.

On Sunday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry would call the doctor for an explanation following failure to report injuries sustained by Zulfarhan to the police.

Subramaniam said the move was in accordance with professional ethics adopted by the Health Ministry.