MIRI – An investigation has been launched into allegations that a 9-month-old baby girl from the remote Julau district died in the arms of her mother in a public bus on the way to Kuching seeking medical treatment.
State Minister for Community Welfare, Women and Children Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah has ordered the Sarawak Welfare Department to probe into the incident that allegedly happened on December 5.
“The claims have been made viral on social media. The mother and the sickly baby girl were said to be travelling by bus from Julau to Kuching to seek medical treatment, but the baby died in the bus when it was at a stop near Engkili town (about 300km from Kuching).
“I have asked the Welfare Department to find out the truth about this. Any parents with sick babies or children should go immediately to the nearest hospital or clinic.
“The doctors there usually arrange further treatment as deemed necessary… and would not simply ask the parents to go on a long journey with a sick child,” she told reporters after a welfare event in Sibu today.
She added that the Welfare Department must determine whether the mother brought the child to the nearest hospitals or clinics or if the mother had taken it upon herself to use a public bus to travel to Kuching with the sick child.
She said the nearest hospital to Julau is Sarikei Hospital or Sibu Hospital.
It is a 500km journey from Julau to Kuching over land. – The Vibes, December 9, 2022
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