THE inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir has heard that no medication was administered to her before she was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as emergency responders focused on critical life-saving measures.
Medical assistant Mohd Faiszal Md Saimi, attached to the Kinarut Health Clinic, told the court that his team did not provide any drugs, including the anti-epileptic medication phenytoin, during the initial response before transferring the victim to hospital care.
“The priority in early emergency treatment for unconscious trauma patients, suspected of having head injuries, is the management of the airway, control of bleeding and circulation, instead of administering medications.
“Administering medication may worsen the victim's condition, such as causing a drop in blood pressure or increased bleeding,” New Straits Times quoted him saying in testimony before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
The witness, the 69th to testify, said he received the emergency call at 3.23am on July 16 and arrived at the student dormitory at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha at 3.45am.
He explained that his responsibilities as a medical assistant did not extend to prescribing or administering certain controlled medications, beyond a limited list that includes paracetamol, aspirin, glyceryl trinitrate, oral rehydration salts and intravenous fluids such as normal saline.
Mohd Faiszal reiterated that he did not administer phenytoin, noting that Zara Qairina was unresponsive but showed no signs of seizure activity.
In response to questions from counsel Shahlan Jufri, representing the victim’s mother, he said phenytoin is a controlled drug restricted to prescription by medical officers.
“Phenytoin, according to the guidelines, is kept at health clinics.
“But for seizure cases, the first choice is diazepam. Phenytoin is the last-line drug for uncontrolled seizure cases, such as when the patient remains in a state of seizure for over five minutes or has repetitive seizures despite being given diazepam.”
He added that the drug may only be dispensed by pharmacies upon prescription from a qualified medical practitioner.
The court also heard that traces of phenytoin were detected in the victim’s kidney in a post-mortem toxicology report, despite earlier evidence from hospital doctors, including an emergency physician and a neurosurgeon, indicating that it had not been administered during their treatment.
Zara Qairina was found unconscious on the ground floor of her hostel and was pronounced dead on July 17, 2025.
Proceedings in the inquest are scheduled to resume on Thursday. - April 14, 2026
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