MOH Responds After Son Claims Dad Waited 30 Hours For Admission Before Dying In Hospital
"My father passed away, my friends... due to the negligence of Serdang Hospital medical staff. We are truly broken beyond words," said the son.
By May Vin Ang — 02 Feb 2023, 05:59 PM
On 26 January, Samuel Manokaran rushed his 64-year-old father to Serdang Hospital's emergency department due to a heart attack.
However, his father passed away a few days later due to what Samuel has alleged as negligence by the hospital staff.
Samuel tweeted last Thursday that he brought his father to the hospital at 4.30am and was told to wait in the emergency department due to the unavailability of beds for admission in the hospital wards.
He updated later that he had to wait over 30 hours before his father was finally given a bed in the wards. However, even then, he claimed that his father was admitted to an already crowded room.
"It is a room for four beds. My father was squeezed in as patient number five," said the 36-year-old.
On Tuesday, 31 January, the son tweeted that his father had died the night prior and accused Serdang Hospital's staff for his death
"My father passed away, my friends, last night due to the negligence of Serdang Hospital medical staff. We are truly broken beyond words. Pray for us," he tweeted.
"We are broken beyond words as there were many avenues to treat my father. We had sufficient time to save him. The worst part is they made my father suffer and he died due to the suffering," he also claimed in a later tweet.
The Selangor State Health Department has since addressed the issue in a statement on Wednesday, 1 February
Titled 'Response to the issue of delay in ward admission and alleged patient negligence in Serdang Hospital', Selangor state health director Dr Sha'ari Ngadiman said they are investigating the issue along with the hospital administration.
"This case involves a patient who came to the Serdang Hospital emergency department on 26 January 2023, where the patient was given the necessary treatment as a heart patient by the emergency team and placed in the emergency ward. He was also then referred to the cardiology department," reads the statement.
The director added that the 64-year-old patient was under the observation of the cardiology department during the whole time the patient was in the emergency ward until there was a vacancy in the ward.
Sha'ari did not confirm nor deny if Samuel's father waited for 30 hours
"The patient was scheduled for a procedure for his heart condition, but his health condition did not permit him to undergo the procedure. On the same day, the patient's condition suddenly deteriorated in the ward during treatment," he continued.
The director added that the hospital teams did the best they could despite facing an extremely high number of patients that day and they always remain committed to providing the best healthcare service.
He added that the hospital will be in contact with the patient's family for a conference about the case.
SAYS has also reached out to Samuel for more information about his experience at Serdang Hospital.
