My life and the lives of my family changed for the worse just in the past month. In the 20 years I have been alive, I never knew that incompetence could be fatal to innocent people.

When my aunt fell ill and upon checking into the Kota Bharu Medical Centre, we were advised to admit her into Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) hospital in Kota Baru which was said to be better equipped. At USM, it took half-a-day to admit her during which she was made to wait at the registry counter.

X-rays revealed that she suffered from an intestinal block, a case of hernia, the doctors said. We were told there would be a three-day waiting period before the operation. Blood samples were taken from her. n preparation for the operation, she was not allowed solid foods.

The following morning, we were told by a doctor they were 'not confident' about performing the operation. My aunt started trembling the same morning. A doctor was called. He said an enema was required and told her daughter to administer it herself. He went off.

My aunt vomited and complained of abdominal pains. Visits to the toilet became more frequent.

My aunt was then told by a doctor to wait for a specialist to check on her. My family starting questioning the doctor how her abdominal pains became so serious.

To our surprise, the doctor told us that they had to forgo a procedure whereby toxins were removed from her gastrointestinal tract through a pipe. He said my aunt complained that the procedure, where a pipe was placed down her throat, was uncomfortable.

The doctor then turned to my aunt and scolded her: "Why didn't you listen to me?" However, the procedure was then carried out. Some 100ml of mucus was removed. My aunt was hard of breath. Her blood pressure was taken by two trainee nurses. It took them ten minutes, switching from a manual machine to a digital one.

She was then sent for x-rays the second time. My aunt, at this stage, was still conscious, and still was able to remove her own watch before the x-rays were taken. She then started having breathing difficulties. A small hole was made in her side, and the doctor confirmed that her lungs 'contained water' and that it had reached a dangerous level.

More blood samples were taken. It took fifteen minutes.We were told the specialist had yet to arrive. My aunt was weak. She had no solid food for over a day.

When another doctor came to make another hole in her side, my aunt lost consciousness. The doctor asked us to be patient. He said specialists were on the way to put her on a machine to help her breathing.

My aunt passed away minutes later. The specialist never appeared. To the family, the doctors referred to their charts and did not say anything. We were never told exactly what she died of.

I am very angry at the hospital.

The staff there are entrusted with peoples' lives. The doctors there were absolutely incompetent. The nurses were worse still. When the doctors were not around, there were not empowered to do anything. And when they did something, it was done absolutely incompetently.

In her last moments, when my aunt wanted to be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), she was told by nurses that the doctor's permission needed to be asked first. She was also told that in her state, it was 'useless'.

My aunt would not have passed away if she wasn't admitted into USM. If not for the delay after delay, she would be still alive. She was only 53.