NS trainee’s family wants help from best medical specialist

Star: KOTA BARU: The family of a national service trainee, who became semi-paralysed, is seeking the department’s help to provide her with the best medical specialist.
Asilalatin Abdul Basir, 17, formerly of SMK Ibrahim I in Pasir Mas, suddenly lost the use of her legs after undergoing a routine physical exercise at Camp Teluk Rubiah in Sitiawan, Perak, two weeks ago.
According to her lawyer aunt Hariati Abdul Rahman, 34, doctors at Ipoh Government Hospital initially diagnosed her niece's condition as inflammation to the spinal cord and warded her for over 10 days.
Asilalatin was transferred to Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kubang Kerian on March 1.
She is unable to feel anything from waist down. Her family is now worried whether the insurance coverage for NS trainees includes specialist treatment.
According to Asilalatin, she was never active in sports while at school and was fired up to do push-ups when she felt her back joints snapping.
“I thought nothing of it and went for a slow jog but I felt weak and was ushered to my bunk. I then seemed to lose sensation in my legs.”
Hariati said the family might consult a private specialist or seek recommendations from attending doctors on what to do next.
Meanwhile, Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub, a member of the parliamentary select committee on national unity and national service training, has urged that the NS programme be temporarily suspended to allow for a full investigation.
“We are not saying the programme should be scrapped,” he said in voicing parents' concerns.
He said the introduction of firearms training and endurance exercises tailored after the military had also raised concerns, as these could backfire on those with poor fitness.
Salahuddin also recommended profiling of trainers engaged for the camps.