Cadet's post-mortem followed proper forensic procedures: MOH
The Health Ministry has clarified that all forensic autopsy cases are supervised by a forensic pathology specialist, following disputes over the post-mortem conducted on Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsuddin’s body.
The ministry’s director-general of health, Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab, stressed that the post-mortem process carried out on Syamsul (above) was done in accordance with prescribed forensic procedures after receiving instructions from the police.
The Health Ministry has clarified that all forensic autopsy cases are supervised by a forensic pathology specialist, following disputes over the post-mortem conducted on Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsuddin’s body.
The ministry’s director-general of health, Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab, stressed that the post-mortem process carried out on Syamsul (above) was done in accordance with prescribed forensic procedures after receiving instructions from the police.
“The case was referred to a forensic pathology specialist, and the body was brought to Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor, which has complete facilities to ensure that the examination was conducted comprehensively and in detail.
“The post-mortem was conducted by a medical officer at the Forensic Medicine Department, Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor, and not by a medical officer (from) the Kota Tinggi Hospital, Johor, as alleged,” Mahathar said in a statement today.
He added that the ministry remains committed to ensuring that all forensic autopsy procedures are carried out professionally, with integrity, and based on medical science to guarantee justice and transparency in every investigation.
Yesterday, lawyer Naran Singh told Malaysiakini that he is demanding an explanation on the involvement of a medical officer in the post-mortem conducted on Syamsul’s body on July 29.
Naran explained that Syamsul’s mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, earlier expressed her desire for forensic experts to conduct the autopsy when her son’s body was first brought to the Kota Tinggi Hospital.
However, Naran claimed that despite Ummu’s wishes, the same medical officer from Kota Tinggi Hospital had travelled 40km to the Sultan Ismail Hospital to carry out the post-mortem.
The lawyer noted that he had written letters about this issue to Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, the Kota Tinggi Hospital director, and Sultan Ismail Hospital’s forensic specialist.
Mum suspects foul play
Syamsul, 22, passed away at the Kota Tinggi Hospital on July 28. He had undergone Reserve Officer Training Unit (Rotu) training before his death.
Ummu suspected foul play after seeing bruises and bloodied eyes on Syamsul’s body before he was buried, which led to her lodging a police report.
Johor deputy police chief Abdul Latiff Mehat said on Aug 1 that the police were investigating Syamsul’s death.
The next day, however, Kota Tinggi district police chief Yusof Othman said no criminal element had been found in the case, while Defence Minister Khaled Nordin said his ministry had set up a committee to investigate Syamsul’s death.
Ummu then filed an application at the Shah Alam High Court on Aug 14, requesting the exhumation of Syamsul’s body, a second post-mortem, and an inquest into his death.
On Aug 26, judicial commissioner Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet allowed Ummu’s application for Syamsul’s body to be exhumed and for a second post-mortem to be held.
