PETALING JAYA: A panel of specialists at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) who treated Najib Razak last Friday had agreed to allow the former prime minister to be discharged, says health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
In a statement, Noor Hisham said Najib was admitted to HKL last Friday over an elective, non-urgent case, adding that the specialists who attended to him were the heads of their respective fields.
“HKL also held two family conferences which were attended by the former prime minister and his family members. The results of the tests conducted on him were provided to them, in line with professional medical practices.
“(The family) was also informed that the specialists unanimously agreed to allow him to be discharged,” he said.
“He was declared as healthy before he was allowed to be discharged from HKL.”
According to Noor Hisham, the medicine prescribed to Najib after he was admitted was the same type as he had been taking previously.
He said the ministry was transparent about the delivery of healthcare services to any individual and also bore the responsibility of complying with ethical practices involving patients’ privacy under the Medical Act 1971.
Noor Hisham added that detailed information on the health of a patient can be furnished to the courts if directed to do so.
Earlier today, Najib’s family pleaded with the government to allow the former prime minister to be given proper medical treatment after he was said to have developed multiple stomach ulcers recently.
Najib’s special officer, Mukhlis Maghribi, said the Pekan MP underwent a scope procedure on Saturday where a doctor discovered the ulcers. While it has been a recurring problem for the past 15 years, new ulcers were discovered, he added.
He claimed that Najib had requested to undergo further observation at HKL but was denied and discharged, while his medication was changed from the usual one he had been taking for years.
The change in medicine was what reportedly caused Najib’s blood pressure to surge, prompting the prosecution to request for a half-day hearing of his 1MDB trial earlier today so that he could be taken to Kajang Hospital.
During the proceedings this morning, ad hoc prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said Najib’s health was “quite bad” due to adverse effects from a change in hypertension medicine.
Najib is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence which was affirmed by the Federal Court in his SRC International corruption appeal last month.
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