Media statement by Dr. Hiew King Cheu in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday, 31^st March 2012:

Hospital negligence in Sabah

Many cases were brought up in the newspaper recently by the people who had suffered both physically or mentally due to the negligence caused by the hospitals in Sabah, and I raised these cases in Parliament on the 27^th of March.

I asked the Ministry of Health on the reason why cases whereby the patient sustained unnecessary suffering, pain and even death, due to the negligence of the medical services, and he asked also on what is the action and measures that the government is going to take to ensure that such happenings will be stopped.

The reply said that from a report from an Independent Investigation Committee found that there are some faults with the hospitals during treatment and taking care of the patients. The faults as caused largely by:-

a. not following the Standard Operating Procedure - 25.7%

b. wrong diagnoses of the patients - 27.6%

c. wrong treatment to patients without referring to the senior doctors and the specialists -20.9%

d. caused injuries to internal organs while performing surgeries and operations - 25.7%

The above mentioned reason and happenings are caused largely due to the heavy work load, shortage of personals and staffs, lack of communication between the junior doctors and the medical officers / medical assistants / specialist doctors and the lack of medical facilities and equipments, for example the lack of sick beds in the ICU.

The measure to be taken by the Ministry of Health is as follows:-

a. to take stern disciplinary action against proven gross negligence,

b. provide training,

For the long term measures:-

a. To set up "Patient Safety Council" to monitor and coordinate the activities concerning the safety of the patients,

b. To prepare the guideline and instruction booklets for the hospitals in occurrence of cases

c. To create awareness in the hospital concerning making prescriptions on medicines, safe and correct treatment, safety in blood transfusion, reduce negligence, and to reduce infection,

d. To organize seminars and workshops to up bring the knowledge on the safety of the general public and stakeholders on medical safety,

e. To arrange with private hospital to organize various forum and convention related to the safety of patient.

Viewing from the reply that was released by the Ministry of Health (MOH) it is definitely surprising that our hospital is having intensive problems on the professional negligence. It is unbelievable that our medical services is out of control with the mistake and faults frequently happening. There is no guarantee on our safety when we are in hospital, and that gives the government hospital a share drop in its reliability and warranty. We go to the hospital to seek cure and not to go there to lose our life and make the illness worst.

The measures proposed by the MOH are not at all effective to cut the hospital negligence. The whole thing must go down to the basic, and that means the Standard Operating Procedure for the hospital must be revised and adopt a better system which must be followed strictly with high standard of supervisions. A double and cross check or consultation with another senior doctor on the diagnoses of a patient with serious and complicated cases must be carried out to assure the diagnoses, especially during the internal organ operation including child birth.

The heavy work load, lack of hands, lack of communication, and no beds in the ICU is in no way that the government can discharge their liability and negligence. How can live lost be compensated due to negligence? Can you bring back the dead caused by hospital negligence? Therefore, it is up to the MOH to immediately implement a better health care system.

* Dr Hiew King Cheu, MP for Kota Kinabalu