Family of dead prisoner claims surgery was carried out without consent

 

When 44-year-old Ali Othman began his prison sentence in Kluang Prison, Johor on Feb 3 this year, he was certified in perfect health without any chronic illnesses, according to his sister Siti Halijah Roselan.

Fast forward to July 29 when Ali’s wife received a call from a Kluang prison officer notifying her that her husband had passed away due to Covid-19, just over a month after surgery to his thighs and intestine.

This would make the 13th custodial death case this year.

It all began on June 15 when Ali’s wife was allegedly asked by the prison authorities to sign a consent form allowing the deceased to undergo surgery at Kluang Hospital.

“On June 15 at around 8.30am, the prison authorities called my sister-in-law, Ali’s wife, to sign a consent form for my brother to undergo surgery. She was not informed of the reasons behind the surgery.

“Later on, the prison authorities told her that she did not have to go to the Kluang Hospital to sign the consent form, as the surgery had already been carried out by the hospital staff,” Siti said.

According to her, prior to the surgery, the deceased claimed to have alerted the prison wardens for weeks about his pain but was only treated by the prison clinic once.

After calling the hospital, Siti was told that surgery had been done on the deceased’s thighs and intestine due to an infection.

“The prison wardens did not notify his wife that he had returned to prison (after the surgery),” she added.

Siti then said a Kluang prison clinic doctor assured her that Ali was okay and that there were no post-surgery complications, but Ali allegedly had a different account of the situation.

“On July 8, my brother called his wife, saying he was in incredible pain and had difficulty walking. He even asked her to buy plastic bags to discard his excretion.

“On the call, it was hard for him to speak as he was resisting the pain,” Siti said.

A few weeks later, on July 29, a Kluang prison officer had informed Ali’s wife of his passing, claiming that it was due to the Covid-19 virus.

“I was incredibly shocked over the news and extremely dissatisfied that the prison authorities did not inform (anyone) or provide information regarding his condition before he passed and before being admitted into the hospital.

“The prison authorities had only informed (us) about his death at around 8.30pm when he was declared dead at 6.50pm. No post mortem was done at the Kluang Hospital” she said.

Meanwhile, Eliminating Deaths and Abuse In Custody Together (Edict) chairperson M Visvanathan said a letter would be issued to the relevant authorities regarding the matter.

“A letter will be written to the Malaysian Prison Department as well as the Attorney-General Chambers of Malaysia for an inquest into the real reason behind Ali’s death.

“(It was said) that his death was due to Covid-19, but this was said without any reasonable evidence provided to his family.

“It is premature to conclude that he passed away due to the virus, especially when his (medical) background is taken into account,” he said.

Citing vaccine rollout for migrant workers, he called on the government and Health Ministry to also administer vaccinations to all prison detainees.

“I call on the government to prioritise the vaccinations of the inmates in prison to ensure their safety as well as the safety of the prison wardens,” he added. - Mkini