KUALA LUMPUR: A 70-year-old man who should have been looking forward to a healthier life after undergoing colon surgery at a government hospital, succumbed to Covid-19 instead.
He was believed to have contracted the virus at the hospital where he was admitted for colon carcinoma.
Mohd Rum Anuar was warded at the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) on May 5 this year and had tested negative for Covid-19 upon admission to the hospital.
Lawyer Wan Azmir Wan Majid of Messrs Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak, representing Mohd Rum's family, said he died seven days after testing positive for Covid-19, due to severe Covid pneumonia with underlying colon carcinoma, more than a month after he was hospitalised.
He said Mohd Rum's wife, three sons and his daughter-in-law, had also contracted the virus.
His three sons took turns to look after him, who had then infected his wife and daughter-in-law.
Wan Azmir explained that after his surgery, Mohd Rum was admitted into the male surgery ward at bed 9A of level 13 of the hospital for observation and oxygen assistance.
He said his client and Mohd Rum's daughter, Siti Syakirah and her family were informed of their father's condition and took turns to take care of him between May 20 and June 13, without objections from the guards, doctors and nurses on duty.
During that period, he said, Mohd Rum's health had shown signs of improvement.
"On June 6, a doctor had told the family that Mohd Rum was ready to be discharged. However, another doctor who examined him said the discharge had to be delayed as the oxygen level in their father's blood was still unstable.
"On June 9, another doctor informed them that Mohd Rum's condition was improving," he said in a virtual press conference today.
Wan Azmir said Mohd Rum was then transferred to bed 14 on level 13, next to a female patient (bed 13) in the same room.
He added that through observations of Mohd Rum's family members, the female patient was allegedly coughing and they claimed she did not wear a face mask, causing them to worry about the health of their father.
"The female patient was not put into a separate room. This matter had been informed by Mohd Rum's family to the hospital, but no immediate action was taken.
"Mohd Rum's family was only informed by a doctor that the female patient on bed 13 tested positive for Covid-19 on June 13, after five days Mohd Rum was in the same room," he added.
On the same day, Mohd Rum had shown unusual symptoms, different from the symptoms he exhibited while under his family's care, including high fever and vomiting.
Wan Azmir said his client's father had vomited five times on June 13, and another three times on June 14.
Following that incident, Mohd Rum had undergone a Covid-19 swab test on June 13 and was confirmed positive on June 14.
"He was categorised as a Category Four Covid-19 patient, as he needed respiratory assistance and was transferred to the Covid-19 patient ward on level nine of the hospital.
"Mohd Rum died seven days later, on June 21, at 4.22pm.
"My client and her family would like to obtain a thorough explanation from the hospital on the facts stated which is a serious issue and needs immediate action and investigation by the hospital," he added.
A letter of demand was sent to the Shah Alam Hospital on July 2, giving the hospital 14 days from the date of the notice to provide the family with a full report of the investigation into the complaint dated June 15, Mohd Rum's full medical report, and the hospital's standard operating procedure (SOP) of handling patients in the ICU, visits and use of facilities in the hospital.
Wan Azmir said the hospital had yet to respond to the letter of demand, with the deadline ending today (July 16).
"We sent in this letter of demand to be fair to the hospital, to make sure that facts from my client are the same with the hospital's.
"If there is still no response from the hospital by next week, I will get instructions from my client to either get a discovery application from the court or pursue a legal suit," he added.
Meanwhile, Siti Syakirah said her father, who was hospitalised for about 40 days, had tested negative all the while.
She said her father, who was also diabetic, had not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
"My father was admitted because of his colon carcinoma, and his swab test before surgery showed that he was negative.
"He spent about 40 days in the hospital, and for that 40 days, he was negative."