KUALA LUMPUR – An aide to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad has confirmed that government hospitals do not hold on to remains of deceased individuals because their relatives are unable to fulfil payments.
The minister’s press secretary, Nik Azmi Nik Ahmad Fathil, has also lodged a report with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) against an X user for making the allegation against government hospitals.
Cautioning netizens against spreading slander, Nik Azmi said public hospitals will “process” bodies according to stipulated procedures.
This includes the procedure that bodies of foreigners are to be claimed by the relevant embassy or next-of-kin.
In another X post where Nik Azmi said he had lodged a report with MCMC, he added that it was not cost-efficient or hygienic for government hospitals to hold on to dead bodies.
“Government hospitals are paid for by taxpayers. Keeping bodies involves high costs and can also risk (the spread of) diseases. There is no reason to delay matters (relating to disposal of bodies,” he said.
In another thread on X, he also said that while there may be cases where government hospitals are required to hold on to bodies for a longer period, there are no standard operating procedures (SOP) requiring them to do so due to unpaid bills.
Nik Azmi was responding to online claims that there were many bodies, mostly foreigners, left in public hospitals as their next-of-kin were unable to settle their medical fees.
The issue cropped up due to a recent case where the remains of a baby boy, named Adham, born with severe deformities, was kept in a freezer for up to two weeks by a private facility, Hospital Bersalin Razif (Razif Maternity Hospital).
Meanwhile, a Health Ministry source told Scoop that in determining whether a body can be immediately released for burial, authorities must decide if there is a need for an autopsy or special care to avoid cross-infection.
Otherwise, the source said, the SOP is to release the body immediately so as to avoid angering relatives or complicating the issue further.
The private hospital in Klang had allegedly refused to release baby Adham’s body for burial as the child’s father, a factory worker in Shah Alam who was only employed five days before the baby’s birth, could not pay the imposed costs totalling RM3,600.
However, after the case went viral, the hospital in a statement denied withholding the baby’s remains due to unfulfilled payments, and instead blamed the father, 22-year-old Safwan Roshdy, for delays in arranging the burial.
The hospital also cast doubt on the parents’ marital status while insisting that the mother had never attended an antenatal check-up. The latter has since been confirmed by Safwan, who said that he was unable to afford the funds necessary for such care.
Following the case gaining traction online, some netizens direct their ire at the baby’s parents by criticising them for failing to keep a child health record book, known locally as a “pink book”, which documents a pregnancy’s progress with the necessary medical procedures such as blood tests and ultrasounds.
However, it would appear that netizens’ condemnation towards the couple could be misdirected as the Health Ministry source told Scoop that since baby Adham was born to a citizen mother, the question of having a pink book “does not arise” for the baby.
“The pink book is a de facto proof of identity (for) the baby. (But), since (Adham’s) birth was in the hospital and witnessed by staffers, in principle, there should be no issue in claiming the body after.
“Although, it would complicate matters if the mother has post-natal issues and the hospital has no medical records to assist them in providing medical treatment,” the source added.
Yesterday, Dzulkefly said the Health Ministry is awaiting the findings of an investigation report from the Private Medical Practice Control Section regarding the allegations against the private hospital involved in the case.
The minister said the report is expected to be completed by the upcoming post-cabinet meeting next week, assuring that the ministry will continue monitoring the operatives of private healthcare facilities across the country. – December 15, 2024
