The Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Ismail Petra will be brought to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on July 14 to undergo follow-up treatment, according to the comptroller of the Kelantan royal household Abdul Halim Hamad.

He said the follow-up treatment involved the changing of a tube for channelling nutrients, to a new one.  

However, he said the matter was not being managed by the Kelantan Sultan’s Office and that to date, the office had yet to be asked to handle it.

“Prior to this, the Regent of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra had stated that any follow-up treatment on the sultan overseas must first get his (regent’s) consent, after medical experts in the country had been consulted as outlined in government directives.  

    

“Tengku Muhammad Faris is deeply concerned about the health of the sultan and has no objections if the treatment to be done in Mount Elizabeth Hospital is not available in the country and is recommended by local specialists and after consultations with the royal household,” he said in a statement in Kota Bharu.

He said the royal household was also getting queries from the people of Kelantan on the health status of the sultan and that statements on this issued by unauthorised sources was only serving to confuse them, especially those living outside the state.

“The move to get treatment abroad without following procedures is only adding to the confusion with some people making assumptions that it is being done to cover up the real situation pertaining the sultan’s health status,” he said.

Tuanku Ismail was admitted to the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) Kubang Kerian near Kota Bharu on May 14 last year after experiencing health problems.

Thereafter, he was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital on May 24 last year for follow-up treatment.

He returned to Istana Mahkota in Kota Bharu on March 4.

On May 4, the sultan was brought to HUSM Kubang Kerian to be examined by a panel of doctors appointed by the state government and was allowed to return home on May 9.

- Bernama