The delayed admission of a 22-month-old baby girl with a high fever at Melaka Hospital was due to a surge in patients at the time, says the state health department.
The department said the baby was brought to the hospital at 4.07pm on May 10 after having a fever for two days. She had received initial treatment at the hospital’s emergency department, where it was found that she had a stable temperature of 37.7°C.
It said medical officers had already planned to admit her to a ward. “However, this was delayed due to the high number of patients who needed to be attended to at the time,” it said in a statement.
The department said the baby then suffered a seizure while waiting for a ward. She was stabilised after receiving emergency treatment and was finally warded at 1.40am on May 11.
She was safely discharged at 5pm the following day.
The statement said the health ministry will conduct an investigation to identify the cause and take steps to resolve it promptly.
The baby’s mother had claimed her daughter’s temperature had risen to 40°C while waiting to be treated and that she was left untreated until she suffered a seizure.
