GEORGE TOWN: The sole survivor of a carbon monoxide poisoning incident which killed three others last month is expected to be discharged today, as her condition has improved.
Seberang Prai Tengah police chief Assistant Commissioner Shafee Abd Samad said they were told that Nor Aqilah Mohd Safwan, 21, under observation at the Melur ward of the Tuanku Mizan Military Hospital in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, will be discharged this afternoon.
"Nor Aqilah went to the eye clinic to have her eyes checked today. The doctor, who attended to her, said her sight has improved. However, she still needs medication and follow up sessions.
"Also, she no longer needs physiotherapy as she is able to walk normally.
"Doctors attending to her told us she will be discharged this afternoon," he said.
Nor Aqilah's twin sister, Nor Adilah, and two others, Sharifah Fariesha Syed Fathi and Ayuni Shazwanie Shabri, all 21 years old, died of carbon monoxide poisoning while they were in a Honda Odyssey in the parking lot of a petrol station in Sama Gagah, Seberang Jaya on Sept 17.
The four had gone for an outing on Malaysia Day to Pulau Jerejak on Penang island. They were on their way back to their homes in Sungai Petani, Kedah when Nor Aqilah, who was driving, complained of a headache and vomited. She parked the car at the petrol station to rest.
Sharifah Fariesha died at the scene, while Ayuni Shazwanie died en route to the Seberang Jaya Hospital. Nor Adilah died while being treated at the Intensive Care Unit of the Lumut Military Hospital in Perak the following day.
A Honda technician from the Bukit Mertajam branch, who checked the Odyssey, found possible leakages in the vehicle's exhaust.
Autopsy reports received by police had shown that the three women died due to the inhalation of carbon monoxide, which then led to various organ failures.
Last Thursday, Nor Aqilah was told of the death of her twin and friends, six days after she regained consciousness.
A day after she awakened from her coma, Nor Aqilah was able to utter a few words, although in a weakened state, and was put on a porridge diet.
She was transferred from the Seberang Jaya Hospital to the Tuanku Mizan Military Hospital and put into an induced coma to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) after the incident.
HBOT is a type of treatment used to speed up recovery from carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, stubborn wounds and infections where tissues are starved for oxygen. It has been used in Malaysia since 1996.