PETALING JAYA: The Penang High Court has awarded RM335,000 to the parents of a businessman who died at Bukit Mertajam Hospital eight years ago, following the settlement of a medical negligence suit reached with the government.
Justice Azizan Arshad entered judgment in favour of the plaintiffs without admission of liability on the government’s part.
The court also awarded the plaintiffs RM33,500 in costs.
The couple had filed the suit against 16 doctors and hospital administrators over the death of their son, Arshad Abdullah.
The settlement was reached after four witnesses had testified on the plaintiffs’ behalf.
The plaintiffs alleged that there was systemic and individual medical negligence leading up to the death of their son, marked by failures in investigation, diagnosis, disclosure and treatment.
The 34‑year‑old businessman was admitted to the hospital’s accident and emergency department on the morning of Feb 18, 2018, following an alleged assault by several unidentified individuals.
He was admitted for blunt force trauma and later developed unexplained anuria.
The patient is alleged to have undergone repeated dialysis sessions which were plagued by clotting and catheter failures, and showed signs of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that were allegedly missed or altered in reporting.
He ultimately died from a pulmonary embolism caused by DVT while still under treatment.
Lawyers Brijnandan Singh Bhar, Natasha Bhar and Vinoshini Ramesh Rao appeared for the plaintiffs, while senior federal counsel Afif Ali represented the government.
