KUCHING, Feb 4: State Health Department director Dr Chin Zin Hing has clarified that a viral video showing a woman in distress causing a scene and breaking down in a ward at Miri Hospital did not happen in the Covid-19 Patient Ward.
“Ya, it did not happen in the Covid ward,” he told DayakDaily briefly when contacted today.
Following the incident, the Miri Hospital management has also issued a statement at 5.30pm yesterday (Feb 3), to clarify that it did not happen in the Covid-19 ward and urged the public to stop spreading the video in social media so to protect the privacy of the patient who is receiving treatment as well as that of the family.
The hospital management also explained that staff had taken action to record the video so as to inform its head of department and colleagues to get assistance.
“The video-recording method was used considering that staff are in full personal protective gear (PPE) which complicated the communication between ward staff with outsiders,” the statement said.
The hospital management also informed that the incident has been settled with assistance from the police.
“After a counselling session was provided, the family member admitted that she was extremely worried about the patient which has severely impacted her emotions,” it added.
The hospital management also emphasised that they have taken stricter actions recently in terms of patient care and visits to the ward to reduce the risks of local infections among healthcare workers and the public.
In the video that went viral on social media yesterday (Feb 3), it was alleged that the woman had managed to enter the Covid-19 Patient Ward to visit the husband.
From the video, the woman was seen standing next to her husband who was lying on a bed and a man could be heard advising the woman to leave the ward immediately.
But she did not respond to the advice as she was saying something to hospital staff in full PPE before turning to ask “apa hal” (what’s the problem) when a lady believed to be a nurse called her politely.
She responded “dialysis kah?”, in which the nurse replied “ya”. She then said that she wanted to wait for him and expressed sadness as to why must she be separated or disallowed to accompany the patient.
A man was then heard telling the woman that they were capturing a video as proof to lodge a police report if needed and she asked that the video be viraled in social media to show the public what happened and accused the man of behaving like a mad person.
She continued to lash out: “What happened to you? I am a healthy person, why are you afraid of a healthy person? I cannot understand. You are already crazy you know. You people are wearing (protective) clothing, very sensitive. I am not wearing (protective) clothing, I am in danger so why are you people afraid of me?”.
A nurse then tried to approach her to calm her down but instead, she pointed at her and told her not to touch her and that only the police can touch her. – DayakDaily
