[UPDATED] MP calls to support independent review of teen’s autopsy

KUALA LUMPUR – Hours after receiving a preliminary autopsy findings on her 13-year-old son Revnesh Kumar, mother Vijayarani Govindan is calling for an independent review into the report. 

Her sentiments are shared by Klang MP Charles Santiago, who said the mother is not convinced that Revnesh’s death had nothing to do with his Covid-19 vaccination.

“Vijayarani is convinced the report needs to be challenged and calls for an independent body to review the Health Ministry’s preliminary autopsy report due to what she describes as ‘discrepancies’ in the doctors’ explanation.

“I urge the ministry to support Vijayarani’s call for an independent review of the post-mortem report so she could get some closure and also to assure other parents that the vaccine is safe for their children.”

Santiago also claimed that Vijayarani told him that the doctors tried to convince her to accept the findings and conclusion after going through the report with her.

“The post-mortem report said the vaccine was not the cause of Revnesh Kumar’s death. His mother, whom I met Wednesday afternoon with lawyer Datuk Gurdial Singh Nijar, isn’t convinced.”

“During our conversation, she said she remains unconvinced as the post-mortem report failed to indicate the cause of her son’s death. Revnesh, a healthy kid, died 18 days after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

“She wants justice for her child and also to prevent this from happening to other families.”

Yesterday, Vijayarani revealed that Revnesh’s death was unrelated to the Covid-19 vaccine he had received according to doctors in their autopsy report.

The report states that Revnesh died a sudden death as test results showed that his organs were all healthy and his body was not affected by the vaccine,” she was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.

Meanwhile, the doctors, she added, had informed the family that the autopsy report would take another week to be completed while the full medical report would take time.

This comes amid criticism by three civil society organisations (CSOs) – Global Human Rights Federation, Malaysia Tamilar Munetra Kalagam, and Persatuan Pengguna Islam – over the apparent lack of responsibility on the ministry’s part.

Representatives from the three CSOs yesterday urged the ministry to be truthful and transparent regarding Revnesh’s death.

On March 4, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Revnesh’s parents – driver Naresh Kumar and housewife Vijayarani – had been briefed on the latest developments of the investigation into the death of their teenage son in a 30-minute meeting. 

On March 6, however, The Malaysian Insight reported that the parents were “dissatisfied” with the outcome of the meeting, with Vijayarani saying officials at the meeting had attempted to write off the possibility of her son dying due to the vaccine. 

She also said that Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had told them that any reaction to a Covid-19 vaccination could be seen within 48 hours and not after weeks. 

This, she said, contradicts what National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency pharmacovigilance division head Dr Azuana Ramli had earlier stated. Azuana reportedly said side effects from Covid-19 vaccination usually occur within 30. – The Vibes, March 10, 2022