MoH still awaiting police report on 10-year-old girl’s death: Zaliha

SG PETANI – The Health Ministry (MoH) is still awaiting the police investigation report regarding the recent death of a 10-year-old girl, allegedly due to negligence, at a government hospital in Klang.

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said she also needs to obtain detailed information from all parties involved before making further explanations regarding the incident.

She urged the public not to spread unauthentic information, and not to be influenced by issues spreading through social media, because they do not know the real story.

“I urge people out there to be more careful and get (information) from authentic sources…don’t spread negativity because it will create negative sentiments,” she told reporters, after officiating the Madani Afiat programme and the national-level observation of World Malaria Day 2023 here today.

The recent incident involving Dea Maisarah Bada, 10, who allegedly died while receiving treatment at a government hospital in Klang, has gone viral on social media.

The hospital was also accused of making a false report regarding the child’s death, by saying that the victim had already died when she arrived for treatment.

Yesterday, the media reported that Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed receiving two reports about the recent death of the girl at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital Klang, and had started an investigation under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.

Meanwhile, Dr Zaliha, in her opening speech, said that malaria cases in this country are under control.

“MoH has successfully achieved the target of the National Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Malaria (2011–2020), which is zero cases of local (indigenous) human malaria infection starting in 2018, and has now managed to maintain that achievement for five consecutive years,” she said.

At the same event, Zaliha presented the Tokoh Malaria 2023 award to the founder of the Malaria Triangle in Peninsular Malaysia programme, Datuk Dr Pius Premaraj, who is also a former Kelantan health director. – Bernama, July 16, 2023