Khairy: Najib requires physio, will be sent back to Kajang prison

Najib Abdul Razak was transferred to the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital (CRH) in Kuala Lumpur because he required physiotherapy, according to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He stressed that the former premier, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption, has not been accorded special treatment.

However, the minister did not provide details regarding Najib’s ailment.

On a related matter, Khairy also disclosed that he ordered Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) to conduct an investigation into a tweet allegedly by one of its doctors who treated Najib and revealed information regarding the latter.

“(There is) no special treatment. There was a request by the deputy public prosecutor for proceedings to be adjourned so Najib could receive the required medical attention.

“Following this, he was referred to HKL where he was treated for his medical condition and he went through a battery of tests.

“Now subsequent to that, he was referred to the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital because of the follow-up treatment that requires physiotherapy.

“And part of that is of course to teach him how to do it himself, because he will be discharged once the specialists are satisfied that he no longer requires to be admitted,” Khairy told a press conference this evening.

He said Najib’s access to medical facilities was in line with the ministry’s standard operating procedures, where the same treatment was also given to other prisoners who required it.

This morning, the Prison Department in a statement confirmed rumours that Najib had been sent to CRH for treatment, and said that it was done in line with the Prison Act and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prison (Mandela Rules).

Khairy said he, however, could not reveal details on Najib's medical condition due to MOH patient privacy protocol.

He added that he also could not say when Najib will be discharged as the decision is solely in the hands of doctors treating the former premier based on their professional opinion.

"We are doing this (allowing Najib access to treatment and tests) so that Najib and his family cannot claim that he was not treated for his medical condition.

"So, we have provided all the treatment he needed and allowed him to undergo all the tests he requested," Khairy said.

According to him, medical specialists will hold a family conference with Najib and his next-of-kin soon to explain his condition and treatment plan, after which he will be sent back to Kajang Prison.

Disciplinary action

Meanwhile, on the tweet case, Khairy said HKL has launched a probe into the matter to establish if it was indeed sent out by one of its medical officers.

If so, he added, the officer can be subjected to disciplinary action according to MOH guidelines.

"At MOH, we have to abide by all the ethics including on patient's privacy, which is protected under the Medical Act. So, any details about a patient's medical condition, including prisoners, must be kept confidential.

"In this case, I have asked the HKL director to investigate and if there was a breach of ethics, then disciplinary action can be taken against the doctor.

"However, an investigation must take place first, so that we can establish if the account was indeed owned by a medical officer, and secondly, if it was the officer who posted the information,” Khairy said.

About a week ago, a tweet went viral after it was allegedly sent out by a doctor denying the claim that Najib had high blood pressure.

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