Jumaat, 18 Februari 2011

No change in SOP to treat sick NS trainees

SEREMBAN: The standard operating procedure to treat National Service trainees who fall ill in camp will not be reviewed.

National Service director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said there was nothing wrong with the current procedures despite the deaths of two trainees this week. Another trainee has slipped into a coma.

"We have between three and five medical staff on duty at the 79 camps nationwide.

"I am sure they know when to treat a case within the camp or when to refer serious ones to government hospitals or clinics," he said.

Abdul Hadi added that the procedures would only be reviewed if it could be proven they had contributed to the deaths of the trainees.

There are no doctors based at NS camps.

Abdul Hadi was speaking to reporters at the launch of the "Social and Reproductive Health" programme at the Seri Perkasa camp in Mantin near here by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil yesterday.

On Sunday, a 17-year-old trainee, Fatini Aqilah Fadhil, died of neutropenic sepsis (leukaemia) in a hospital in Ipoh. She had been based at the Chenderian camp in Tapah.

Two days later, Mohamad Zulhaili Nordin 17, who was undergoing training at the Wawasan Papar camp in Papar, Sabah apparently died of meningoencephalitis (bacterial infection of the brain) in a hospital in Kota Kinabalu.

Another trainee A. Tamilarasi, 18, is currently fighting for her life at the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital here after slipping into a coma.

Abdul Hadi said there had been conflicting reports on Mohamad Zulhaili's death.

"It was reported that he died after swimming in a pond. As far as the NS Department is concerned, there is no water-based training allowed at our camps," he said.

On Tamilarasi, he said she only slipped into coma six days after leaving her camp for the Chinese New Year break.

On a separate matter, Abdul Hadi said those who had completed their NS training would be given preference when applying to enrol at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia.

This, he said, was agreed upon by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi during a post-Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
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