Materia Medica Malaysiana

Be vigilant for child victims, medical staff told

KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek has warned all medical staff to be more vigilant in looking out for suspected child abuse victims and to treat them immediately.

He said the safety of the children was of utmost importance no matter who brought them in for treatment.

“Please use your common sense. Admission of children, if and when needed, must not be rejected just because the people who brought them in are not the parents, guardian or next-of-kin.

Noriszyani: Had injuries to the liver, bruises on the head and pinch marks all over.
“The safety of the children, even if they were brought in by a passer-by, is our top priority under any circumstances,” he said in an interview.

Dr Chua was commenting on a report which quoted Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia president P.H. Wong as saying that the failure of a child-care centre in getting abused two-year-old Noriszyani Amilya Ahmad admitted to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) was one of the failures in the system in protecting a child.

Wong said UMMC asked the child-care centre for evidence of legal guardianship, without which it said it

would not admit Noriszyani.

Noriszyani died at Sungei Buloh Hospital on Monday.

A post-mortem by UMMC showed that she had injuries to the liver, bruises on the head, pinch marks all over the body and she had also been scalded.

Wong said Noriszyani also had bruises on her back and neck which she suffered in January followed by bruises on the left arm and wrist in February.

She asked why the child, who was bleeding on her lips and had bruises on her ears, could not be admitted.

Dr Chua said admission procedures for children, like the need for consent from parents, guardians or next-of-kin, could always be sorted out later.

He said such requirements were important from the legal and medical aspects, particularly when the children needed to be operated upon. Nevertheless, he stressed that the safety and interests of children must remain the top priority.

Police have questioned at least seven people, including the child’s parents, a 28-year-old former maid, the day-care centre officers, welfare department officers and representatives of the association over the death of Noriszyani, but no arrests have been made.