GEORGE TOWN – Police have taken statements from a doctor and a housemate of the Penang Hospital houseman who fell to his death on April 17 in Jalan Datuk Keramat.
North East acting police chief V. Saravanan said authorities are looking to take statements from the victim’s family members, possibly this week, to facilitate the investigation into the houseman’s sudden death.
He added that police are still waiting for the post-mortem results, and lab and chemistry reports.
“For now, the case is still classified as sudden death. The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Based on initial investigations, he said that the houseman was found dead after falling from a window of his rented apartment.
Meanwhile, state health exco Dr Norlela Ariffin said in a statement that she will call for a meeting with stakeholders soon to formally discuss the incident and come up with changes and solutions.
“The meeting will first involve trainee and junior doctors before meeting with health directors, deputy health directors, hospital directors, and heads of departments in Penang.
“We want real change and not just knee-jerk solutions or plaster over the matter. That’s why it needs to be minuted in the meeting and sent to the health minister (Khairy Jamaluddin). He has been informed about it.”
She added that she has received many insights on issues faced by trainee and junior doctors as well as suggestions on how to overhaul the current system.
Earlier, The Vibes reported that northeast district police head Soffian Santong confirmed the case, saying that the initial investigation centred on sudden death.
He did not rule out the possibility of the case being reclassified if fresh evidence comes to light.
The houseman, whose name has been withheld due to a request from his parents, was posted to the hospital just three weeks before his sudden demise here.
This is believed to be the second death to involve a junior doctor in the span of two years.
In December 2020, The Vibes reported that another doctor who had resigned from the same hospital had died suddenly.
The incident triggered an outcry among his colleagues, who wanted the authorities to seriously look into the matter instead of dismissing it as a “common” issue. – The Vibes, May 6, 2022
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