PSD: Doctor who died eligible for ex-gratia

Star: PUTRAJAYA: The doctor who died after an accident in an ambulance is eligible for an ex-gratia payment, according to the Public Services Department (PSD) and Treasury.
PSD corporate communications unit head Hasniah Rashid said although Dr Norbaizura Yahaya was not confirmed as a doctor at the time of death, she was eligible for the compensation as long as she was a government staff member.
She said the ex-gratia scheme was provided for all government servants under a 1994 Treasury circular amended in 2001, which stipulated that a staff member injured or killed while on duty, even if not confirmed, was entitled to compensation.
“In her (Dr Norbaizura’s) case, the Health Ministry is conducting an investigation and will propose the payment (quantum) to the Treasury, which will then relay the final decision to the PSD on the next course of action,” she said.
On Sept 4, Dr Norbaizura was accompanying a patient in an ambulance from Seremban Hospital to Selayang Hospital when the vehicle burst a tyre at the expressway near Bangi and landed in a ditch.
The 24-year doctor from Sabak Bernam, who suffered injuries to her head, ribs and lungs, went into a coma and died 16 days later.