Materia Medica Malaysiana

Sudden death shocks ministry staff

KUALA LUMPUR: Staff at the Health Ministry headquarters here are still reeling in disbelief over the sudden death of their colleague, Rosni Mat, believed to have been caused by herbal-based slimming pills.

Instead of heading home to join their families when work ended at 1pm yesterday, a few of her colleagues huddled together on the second floor of their Jalan Cenderasari office, recalling Rosni’s last few days.

At first, they were hesitant to share their thoughts with The Star but they opened up when convinced that her fate could be an eye-opener for others.

They said the 24-year-old Universiti Malaya graduate – who joined the ministry as part-time research officer on May 24 and whom they described as bubbly, friendly and hardworking – had never taken a day of sick leave.

And yet she was found foaming at the mouth and gasping for breath early Friday morning by her housemates at their rented house in Taman Bukit Angkasa, Pantai Dalam here, and taken to the nearby University Malaya Medical Centre.

“She was already dead when the ambulance arrived at the hospital,” said a colleague.

Rosni, from Tanah Merah, Kelantan, left behind some clues in the last 48 hours of her life that might help shed some light on the tragedy.

“She bought a bottle of slimming pills on Tuesday evening and kept going to the toilet on Thursday,” recalled a colleague.

Rosni, it was learnt, was about 164cm in height and weighed between 80kg and 90kg.

“Her brother said she had never complained of being unwell,” said another colleague, who had helped the family to arrange to send her body back to Kelantan for burial.

The dangers of slimming pills made headlines in 2002 when Singapore television host Andrea De Cruz had to undergo a liver transplant after taking one such product from China.

It has been found that certain herbs can damage the liver and kidneys and some herbal-based products are tainted by dangerous substances like steroids.

The slimming product Rosni had bought is advertised on the Internet.

In the advertisement, 13 different products – said to be herbal-based – have been listed under the brand and they boasted a wide spectrum of health benefits and cures.

Among other things, they claim to promote slimming and youthfulness, enhance sex life, boost the intelligence of children, reduce high blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

The Star made a call yesterday to the number listed but it was “not in service.”