MELAKA, May 12 — The Melaka State Health Department has been instructed to investigate claims that a 22-month-old baby girl suffering from a high fever was left in pain for 11 hours before experiencing a seizure at Melaka Hospital early yesterday morning.
State Executive Councillor for Health, Human Resources and Unity, Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem, saying he is aware of the viral case and has called for an immediate and thorough investigation, national news agency Bernama reported.
“I have contacted the Melaka Health Director (Dr Ruzita Mustaffa) as well as the top management of Melaka Hospital and asked them to conduct an investigation into this case. At the same time, I urge the public not to make assumptions until the investigation is complete,” he was quoted as saying.
Earlier, a 13-minute video went viral showing the baby crying in pain, prompting emotional reactions from social media users and calls for the incident to be investigated.
The baby’s mother, Siti Aishah Rahim, 27, wrote on Facebook that she and her mother arrived at the Emergency and Trauma Department of Melaka Hospital at 2.30pm on Saturday after her eldest child, Siti Farha Adelia Mohd Firdaus, suddenly developed a high fever.
She claimed that upon arrival, a nurse only took a blood sample and then left them waiting as her daughter’s temperature rose to 40 degrees Celsius.
“I kept asking but was told to continue waiting, until my baby suffered a seizure at 1am yesterday (Sunday), which caused her body to stiffen,” she said, adding that her daughter was then transferred from the Green Zone to the Yellow Zone after her condition worsened, before doctors attempted to stabilise her.
