‘NO DELAY IN TREATMENT OF SINGAPOREAN’

Health D-G refutes report on Johor hospital’s demand for payment from accident victim

HASHINI KAVISHTRI KANNAN PUTRAJAYA news@nst.com.my

HEALTH director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah yesterday denied news report by The Independent SG (theindependent.sg) claiming there was delay and demand for payment before treatment by Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) in Johor Baru.

Several Singapore media outlets have also carried reports of a Singaporean man who died on Aug 30, following injuries sustained from an accident in Johor Baru on Aug 25.

Dr Noor Hisham said the article claimed that there was slow response time from HSA ambulance service as it took up to 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the scene.

“From the ambulance service records, it was noted that the emergency call was made at 2.57am on Aug 25 and the ambulance left HSA at 2.59am.

“It arrived at the scene at 3.10am and departed from the scene with the patient at 3.15am. Kudos to the ambulance call service for a very timely response, with dispatch time of two minutes and response time of 13 minutes,” he said.

As for the Singaporean man’s critical condition, he was admitted to the red zone upon arrival at the Emergency Department, he said.

“The emergency treatment initiated by the ambulance team earlier was continued immediately.

“The Emergency Department team also initiated primary survey X-rays, CT scan of brain, cervical and thorax, treatment (including intubation) and made referral to the relevant team in a very timely and professional manner, without asking for any deposit since this is an emergency case.”

He said this was in line with the ministry’s policy as per the secretary-general’s circular dated March 4, 2015 regarding deposit payment for foreigners in government hospitals.

“Due to his brain injury, the patient was referred to the neurosurgery team, and urgent decompressive craniectomy, removal of clot and intracranial pressure monitoring were planned without demand for deposit.

“Subsequent to this, his family members arrived, and only then they were asked to pay RM2,575 for the CT scan and x-rays.

“However, they opted for discharge at own risk (AOR discharge) and arranged for admission to a hospital in Singapore after understanding the risk involved for delaying the surgery.”

He said the Health Ministry urged all relevant parties to be responsible in reporting and commenting, as releasing inaccurate information could lead to misunderstanding.

“The ministry has always valued life and does its best to treat people, regardless of their background or nationality. This is in line with our ethics and corporate culture of caring, professionalism and teamwork.”

The ministry has always valued life and does its best to treat people, regardless of their background or nationality. DATUK DR NOOR HISHAM ABDULLAH

Health director-general