A patient, who claims that medication from a government hospital has had adverse effects on her, is demanding compensation from the Health Ministry.

Chow Chooi Mei, 45, who suffers from tuberculosis (TB), alleged that the adverse medical condition she is currently experiencing was due to the side-effects of medications prescribed by a doctor while she was seeking treatment for TB at the Ipoh Hospital.

In a press conference today, Dr D Jeyakumar (PSM-Sungai Siput) said that Chow was diagnosed as having TB on Sept 2, 2004, and she was administered a dosage of medications for an adult weighing 60kg despite only weighing 32kg.

psm gst forum 210110 d jeyakumar “She was discharged at the end of September, but after a few week she was having problems walking and experienced impaired vision. Therefore, she stopped taking her medication after three months,” he said.

Jeyakumar ( left ) said one year later, Chow’s mother took her to see another specialist as her cough was worsening, she needed a walker to support herself and her eyesight was 6 out of 60.

“This time she was warded back at Ipoh Hospital and treated with the correct dosage of medicines,” he said.

However, the hospital did not compensate her for the complications she suffered from the first treatment.

Chow, who still supports herself on a walker, then filed a medical negligence suit in 2007 against the doctor, the hospital and the ministry, but she failed to name the doctor who treated her correctly.

The matter was struck out by the Ipoh Session Court in September this year as Chow could not identify the doctor who had prescribed her initial medication.

Jeyakumar said he wrote to Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai appealing for him to step in and compensate Chow accordingly.

‘No longer has faith in legal system’

He conceded that Chow “no longer has faith” in the legal system as the lawyers would repeatedly use the same argument that Chow had failed to name the doctor to win their case on technical grounds.

“They will be let off the hook because most of the time it is hard to identify which doctor had signed the documents or the prescription,” he said.

He pleaded to the ministry to be fair and responsible over her condition.

“Stop playing hide and seek with a patient who has a clear handicap as a result of wrong tretament.”

Jeyakumar added that Chow used to make about RM600 a month as a dishwasher, and said that the ministry should at least compensate her the same amount on a monthly basis for 20 years.