KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry will not release details on the health condition of incarcerated former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak unless the court orders for such information to be presented.
Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the ministry has a duty to abide by ethics codes on patient confidentiality enshrined under the Medical Act 1971 (Amendment 2012).
“Any detailed information about a patient’s health can only be submitted to the court (if ordered by the court),” he said in a Facebook post early this morning.
“The medical report on clinical investigations, treatment, and monitoring (for Najib), will be submitted to the court (by order of the court).”
Yesterday, the Prison Department had confirmed that Najib was transferred to Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital for further treatment and observation on Monday (September 19).
It added that he would only return to Kajang Prison to continue serving his 12-year sentence once he gets medical clearance from specialists.
This came amid allegations spreading online that Najib, who had been referred to as a “merpati” (pigeon) in an anonymous message, has been granted liberal access to the outside world and is receiving special treatment during his time behind bars.
Previously, Najib had been hospitalised in Kuala Lumpur Hospital from September 12 after he complained of pain due to high blood pressure as a result of a change of medication, forcing his high court trial on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd corruption case to be adjourned and vacated until next week.
The Pekan MP began his prison sentence on August 23 after the Federal Court upheld the high court’s guilty verdict in his SRC International Sdn Bhd case. – The Vibes, September 22, 2022
