Authorities accused of inaction in sexual assault by medical personnel

A hospital employee in Sabah has accused authorities of inaction in her sexual assault complaint against a medical assistant (MA), whom she said had made inappropriate touches during a clinical procedure in June.

The 32-year-old administrative staff member at Kota Kinabalu’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 claimed that she had reported the incident to the Health Ministry and the police but has since received little feedback.

The victim, whose name is being withheld due to the nature of the case, alleged that the assault happened on the afternoon of June 29 when the male MA attended to her for a procedure called nerve conduction study (NCS).

She said only the male MA was in the room with her during the procedure, which was against the standard procedure, a fact she noted she was not aware of at the time.

“When he was applying electrode patches on my left arm (affected part for the procedure), the MA had placed and rubbed his left hand on my thigh, arms and legs many times, it was like he was hugging me.

“He had also pulled the sarong I was wearing up to my belly and used his fingers to lift the waistband of my underwear, purportedly to find the right spot for the patch.

“When he wanted to apply a patch on my right shoulder, I only undid one button to loosen up the top I was wearing, but the MA went on to take off my whole shirt,” she told Malaysiakini in a recent interview via WhatsApp.

The suspect also allegedly made sexually tinged remarks throughout the procedure, including comments about the colour of the victim’s underwear.

Traumatised

The victim said she felt abused and the incident left her traumatised, so much so that she had to seek counselling.

The mother of one filed a complaint with the hospital management three days later before lodging a police report.

She also filed a formal report to the Health Ministry through the government’s Public Complaints Management System.

However, according to the victim, there has been little progress in her case.

“I lodged the (police) report on July 5, but until today there has been no action taken by the hospital or update on the probe from police.

“The hospital director, meanwhile, refused to take any action saying that he does not want to jeopardise the police investigation,” she claimed.

Suspect questioned

Kota Kinabalu district police chief Kasim Muda confirmed that police had received a report from the victim and opened an investigation under Section 354 of the Penal Code.

The provision stipulates offences related to using criminal force with intent to outrage a person’s modesty and carries a punishment of a maximum of 10 years in jail, caning, fine, or any combination of these.

Kasim said police have already questioned the suspect, who has since been released on police bail.

“We are waiting for a medical report for further action,” he said when contacted recently.

Malaysiakini has also contacted hospital director Dr William Gotulis and Sabah health director Dr Asits Sanna for their comments.

However, both indicated that they were not authorised to make public statements over the matter.

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