BOY AT RISK OF LOSING RIGHT ARM
Doctors say they may need to amputate limb due to blood thinning condition
THE blood clot on Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi’s left shoulder has reduced but he is still not out of the woods yet.
The 11-year-old tahfiz school pupil, whose legs were amputated after an alleged beating by an assistant warden, is now suffering from a blood thinning condition on his right arm.
Doctors had performed surgery on his right arm on Saturday to treat symptoms of congealed blood.
However, Thaqif ’s family was told by doctors yesterday that they might need to amputate his right arm if the blood thinning condition did not improve.
His aunt, Dzuraidah Ahmad, 38, said the family was reluctant to make Thaqif go through any more suffering by allowing for another limb to be amputated.
“But the family was not given a choice. Doctors asked us whether we wanted to save his life, or his arm.
“Hearing this, the family decided to leave it to the doctors to carry out the best treatment,” she said outside the High Dependency Ward at Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) here yesterday.
She said the family was still reeling from a scare on Monday when Thaqif’s left arm was at risk of being amputated due to a blood clot on his left shoulder that had become worse.
“Today (yesterday), the blood clot on the left shoulder has been reduced.”
Dzuraidah said Thaqif regained consciousness for a few minutes yesterday and told his family that he wanted to remove the tubes and drips attached to him, but doctors sedated him again.
“He is still in an induced coma but all his organs and vitals, such as kidneys, blood pressure and lungs, are fine.”
Meanwhile, Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah visited Thaqif yesterday at noon and spent 40 minutes at the ward.
Accompanied by HSI director Dr Azizah Riduan, Raja Zarith was seen wiping her tears while leaving the ward.
A group of 20 pupils and teachers from Thaqif’s school were seen waiting outside the ward for their turn to visit him.
Johor Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said Raja Zarith had given instructions for the state Health Department to carry out medical checks on the other 14 tahfiz school pupils who were reportedly beaten by the same assistant warden, to determine their condition.
“We hope the school will take the initiative to send their pupils to a clinic for a medical checkup.
“As for Thaqif, we need a week to get a full report on his medical condition, as we want to determine whether his condition was caused by the beatings, or whether the beatings had aggravated it,” Ayub said, adding that Raja Zarith had urged all mosques to conduct prayers for Thaqif ’s recovery.
Madrasah Tahfiz Al Jauhar Kota Tinggi principal Mohammad Afdhaluddin Ismail said he would help authorities in following Raja Zarith’s instruction for all the pupils involved in the alleged beatings to have themselves checked by medical personnel.
“I went to the District Health Office and made arrangements pursuant to the Permaisuri Johor’s request to have the pupils checked,” he said, reiterating the commitment of the school’s administration to give its full cooperation in the course of the investigation.