Najib’s ‘new’ medication same formula, different brand, says KJ

 

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin says Najib Razak was given a generic high blood pressure medication by Hospital Kuala Lumpur, which government hospitals use.

PUTRAJAYA: Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin has sought to clarify claims that Najib Razak’s blood pressure medication was changed recently, saying a statement made by the former prime minister’s aide did not reflect the full picture.

At a press conference here, Khairy said Najib was given a generic high blood pressure medication by Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), whose formula was the same as what the Pekan MP was taking previously.

“He used to purchase his medication from a private hospital. When he was admitted to HKL (last Friday), we gave him medication that government hospitals give.

“The medicine is the same, the formula is the same. The shape is just generic,” Khairy said.

He said the claim that the medication was changed as a whole made it seem as though it was a totally different drug.

Yesterday, Najib’s special officer, Mukhlis Maghribi, said the former prime minister underwent a scope procedure on Saturday where a doctor discovered new stomach ulcers, an issue Najib had been struggling with for the past 15 years.

He claimed that Najib had requested to undergo further observation at HKL but his request was denied and he was 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 yesterday so that he could be taken to Kajang Hospital.

In a statement yesterday, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said a panel of specialists at HKL who treated Najib last Friday had agreed to let him be discharged. He said Najib was healthy when he left the hospital.

Najib was admitted to HKL again yesterday, forcing his 1MDB trial at the KL High Court today to be postponed.

Khairy maintained that every inmate in prison would be given the best treatment, not just Najib, saying this was the health ministry’s duty.

For now, Najib will undergo treatment at HKL and not the National Heart Institute (IJN), as prisoners must be referred to government hospitals.

“I’ve been informed that Najib is healthy.”

Earlier, lawyer Shafee Abdullah told the court that Najib would be referred to the IJN for further treatment. - FMT