Bella cried as we treated her scalded hands, says plastic surgeon

KUALA LUMPUR – The sessions court was today told that Bella – the girl with Down Syndrome who is the victim in the Rumah Bonda case – cried while getting both her wounded hands treated at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) in June last year.

HKL plastic surgeon, Dr Salmi Mohamed Shukur, 46, said the teenager was scalded on both hands.

“Bella cried while her wounds were being cleaned and we (medical officers) had to hold her hands as she looked unhappy due to the pain.

“Bella’s left hand had 1% scalding while the wounds on the right hand had 0.5% scalding. Apart from the diagnosis on the hands, I saw there were red and hot swellings, with symptoms of bacterial infection. It is better to know the source of the scald from the patient.

“When I approached Bella, she did not talk about the source of the scalding and I did not want to press her,” said the 15th witness during an examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Nor Azizah Mohamad in the trial of Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali. 

Dr Salmi said that based on the scald wounds, she thought the injuries were three weeks old and the patient was temporarily transferred to ward 15 of the hospital after she was confirmed positive for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, the witness said the two scald wounds on both Bella’s hands may be due to hot water based on the report given by Dr Sheshadri Sridar, the medical officer under her supervision who treated the teenage girl.

Nonetheless, the witness said there were no parties who asked her to provide the medical report.

According to Dr Salmi, Bella’s right hand recovered on July 23, 2021, after about one month of treatment and the left hand recovered on August 17 the same year and it took about six weeks.

“The last time I met Bella was on September 14 in HKL and at that time, Bella’s home caretaker applied for the teenager to be transferred to Seremban Hospital. I saw the wound was turning into a scar,” she said, adding that Bella was active and loved to draw when she was in the hospital’s ward. 

Questioned by Nor Azizah on the current condition of Bella’s wound, Dr Salmi said the scar on her right hand had matured while the scar on the left hand was still red and coarse, requiring further treatment.

Asked on the condition of the physical condition of the girl when she was treated at HKL, the witness said Bella appeared small but she was not skinny or had sunken eyes and her weight was 35kg.

Dr Salmi said on the first day Bella was admitted to HKL on June 24 2021, the teenager was given treatment for scalds on both hands and at that time Bella did not have a fever or fits and was in stable condition.

The witness agreed with the proposal of lawyer Asiah Abd Jalil, who is representing Siti Bainun, that if the wounds were not treated, they could cause the patient to have a fever and fits – apart from agreeing that Bella’s head was shaved bald for the treatment of old wounds on her head.

Dr Salmi also denied pictures of the wounds sustained by Bella when she was in hospital which went viral on Facebook.

Siti Bainun, 30, is facing two charges of neglect and abuse of the teenage girl, causing the victim to suffer physical injuries and emotional trauma between February and June 2021 at a condominium in Wangsa Maju here.

The trial before judge Izralizam Sanusi resumes tomorrow. – Bernama, August 29, 2022