I want to know why my child died - father's 7-year plea for justice

For the past seven years, a father has been confronted with numerous challenges in his quest for justice regarding the tragic demise of his 11-month-old son in 2016.

Mohd Nazri Mohd Yusof, 45, said that his son, Wan Naufal Afeef, initially suffered from acute bronchiolitis and was treated at a private hospital in the Klang Valley.

However, on the day he was supposed to be discharged, Wan Naufal was instead sent to the Tuanku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) in Klang for an autopsy.

Highlighting the heart-wrenching incident, Nazri (above) said that his son’s death was sudden, even though he appeared healthy just a few hours before.

“My child died in the hospital while we were about to go home, but at 8.30am, he still looked healthy,” he said, showing a picture of his son on his mobile phone.

Nazri himself was once a doctor but has since left the practice to become a lawyer.

The 45-year-old said that many questions arose after the Forensic Department at HTAR issued a report that was deemed confusing.

Among the issues were:

• classifying the baby’s death as from natural causes;

• a lack of investigation

• lack of transparency in the autopsy

• the labelling of “brought in dead” by HTAR even though the child had passed away while undergoing treatment at hospital;

• The Institute for Medical Research (IMR) stating the absence of blood samples for toxicology tests from HTAR.

“I know I’m not a minister’s son, not anyone important... but it’s their responsibility to do their job, and I didn’t want my child to die. I want to know why my child died,” he told Malaysiakini recently.

Nazir’s attorney, Roslan Fadzil, clarified that the toxicology report was to ascertain the specific medication administered to the child. It was expected to be an integral component of the autopsy process.

Lawyer Roslan Fadzil

Roslan said there was a type of antibiotic medicine that was not mentioned in the “Kimia 15” form (the toxicology report) that the patient had been given, although it was mentioned in the hospital bill.

This specific antibiotic is said to be banned by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division (NPRA), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Its administration to children or via intravenous route is also strictly prohibited.

‘Why the rush to bury?’

Nazri and his lawyer also questioned why the hospital rushed to request the burial of his child’s body when the autopsy report had not yet been released.

According to Nazri, the autopsy report was issued two months after his son passed away.

“There’s no consistent information about the report,” Roslan said.

Furthermore, according to Nazri, his son’s death certificate could not be issued due to the pending status of the autopsy.

Expressing his disappointment with the incident, Nazri said he had penned letters to multiple parties - the hospital and relevant authorities - but received no response.

He also said the incident had imposed a substantial financial burden on him, coupled with the extended period of waiting to pursue justice for his child’s tragic demise.

This included legal fees, the amount of which he declined to disclose, and a court case that had been postponed since 2021.

Malaysiakini is anticipating a response from HTAR for clarification on this matter. - Mkini