By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Sept 20: A 50-year-old father from Serian, Norman Naroodin, is demanding answers from a public hospital in Kuching after the tragic death of his 82-day-old (about three months) baby boy, questioning whether alleged medical malpractice or drug overdose was involved.
Norman, who lost his only child, approached Padungan assemblyman and Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen for help after months of seeking explanations from the hospital without success.
Chong, at Norman’s request, called a press conference today to highlight the grieving father’s plight and pledged to raise the matter with the hospital director and in Parliament to seek justice and accountability.
The baby, born prematurely at 34 weeks on Nov 28, 2024, was initially warded in a general ward before being transferred to the critical unit after showing signs of infection and low oxygen levels.
According to Norman, his baby’s condition deteriorated after a series of medical procedures, including a spinal tap and repeated drug administrations that escalated from five types of medications to as many as 11 before his death.
The father recounted that on Jan 18, 2025, he received a distressing call from the hospital informing him that his baby had fallen while being bathed by a nurse. By the time Norman arrived, his child had slipped into a coma. Though the baby regained consciousness five days later, his oxygen level reportedly plummeted, forcing him back into the intensive care unit.
Two days before his passing, the baby could no longer urinate. Efforts to insert a catheter and later drain fluid directly through the stomach failed. On Feb 17, at 11.25pm, the baby died in the hospital, leaving Norman and his wife devastated.
“What I cannot accept is that throughout the 82 days my baby was under hospital care, no clear explanation was given about the procedures or the heavy dosage of drugs used on him. At one point, he was not even given milk. Physically, he became swollen from all the injections, and his condition only worsened day by day,” Norman said, his voice breaking.
He added that seeing his child’s small body covered with puncture marks during the final rites traumatised him further.
“As a father, I was there every day without fail. I changed his diapers, I fed him, I touched him. At 48 days, he even smiled at me. But after the fall and the heavy treatments, everything went downhill. I feel like I was begging for answers, but no one in the hospital gave me any,” he said.
Chong said Norman’s case reflects a heartbreaking failure of communication and accountability.
“We are not here to accuse any doctor or nurse directly, but a baby under full hospital care for 82 days should not have died without a clear explanation. The hospital must come forward with answers, and the family deserves justice,” he stressed.
No post-mortem was carried out as the baby died in the same hospital where he was born, but Chong said medical records of the drugs administered must be made available. Two police reports have already been lodged this year.
For Norman, the loss remains unbearable. “If the oxygen had dropped and my baby could not survive, at least let him go peacefully, not in pain with so many drugs. Until today, my wife cannot bring herself to talk about it because she is too heartbroken,” he said. — DayakDaily
