Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah
KUCHING: The Health Ministry is urged to probe a claim of doctor negligence in the 18th rabies death in Sarawak.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said if proven true, it would be the second such case recorded in the state where a doctor had failed to refer a dog-bite patient to the Rabies Clinic.
“Such case of (alleged) negligence is very serious and should not happen, because it is imperative for doctors to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) set by the Health Ministry.
“I felt really disturbed as I read the history of the case. It was reported that the doctor who had treated the victim had failed to send or refer her to the Rabies Clinic in Kuching immediately,” said Uggah, who is also State Disaster Management Committee chairman.
Extending his condolences to the victim’s family, he said the Health Ministry ought to carry out an investigation to ensure that there was no breach in the SOP, where patients involved in cases of dog bites must be immediately sent to the Rabies Clinic.
Yesterday, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement said the 61-year-old woman from Pending, here passed away at 10.47pm Wednesday at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), where she had been receiving intensive care since June 8.
He said the woman was bitten by a stray dog on her right thumb on April 29 this year when she tried to chase away a dog that was barking at her.
The victim washed her wound for about five minutes and immediately sought treatment at a community clinic near her home.
Another appointment was then set for a week later, but she did not show up for the follow-up treatment as she thought her wound had healed, he explained.
“On June 6, she felt sick and discomfort on her right arm. She went to SGH (on June 8) and was immediately administered rabies immunoglobulin (RIG).
“The next day, she complained of nausea, headache, difficulty to swallow water (hydrophobia), discomfort on her right arm and weakness of her lower body,” said Dr Noor Hisham.
To date, there have been 19 rabies cases recorded in Sarawak since an outbreak was declared in the state on July 1, 2017, resulting in 18 deaths.
Of the 19 cases, three were reported this year.
The lone survivor – a seven-year-old boy – was discharged from SGH early last year and is currently receiving treatment at home for neurological complications.
The Sarawak Health Department has issued a notice to all medical practitioners in the state to ensure the administration of animal-bite cases follows the set guidelines.
Cases with the risk of rabies infection or involving victims who do not seek follow-up treatment must be informed immediately to the nearest Health office so that the victims can be traced.
“To avoid rabies infection, the Health Ministry reminds the people to wash their bite wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes and to immediately seek treatment at the nearest government clinic or hospital.
“The public must also avoid being bitten by dogs or wild animals considering that many areas in Sarawak are declared as rabies positive,” Dr Noor Hisham said.