KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — The Selangor health director today acknowledged an incident involving a patient allegedly stabbing another patient at the Selayang Hospital yesterday, admitting the incident had taken place at an instant.
Datuk Dr Sha'ari Ngadiman said nurses and medical officers present at the hospital took immediate action to restrain the man before handing him over to the authorities, while the victim is now in a stable condition.
“It is regrettable to inform that an untoward incident took place at the hospital's accident and emergency department at 3pm where a patient seeking treatment was stabbed by another patient.
“The stab victim was immediately given emergency treatment and underwent surgery. He is now in a conscious and stable condition at the hospital's Intensive Care Unit,” he said in a statement.
Dr Sha'ari said a police report was subsequently lodged by a medical officer who witnessed the incident.
According to The Straits Times, the perpetrator became upset after being left at the hospital’s accident and emergency department, while waiting for a bed to become available in order for him to be admitted.
The hospital was reportedly full at the time, due to the overcrowding phenomenon currently ongoing at some of the country’s public health facilities.
The news outlet reported that a psychiatric patient obtained a knife from a staff pantry, before proceeding to attack the other patient, who was being treated for dengue, twice in the stomach and once in the back, causing serious injuries that require operation.
