Permaisuri wants tahfiz students to undergo medical examination
JOHOR BARU: Johor Permaisuri Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah had decreed that students at the private religious school in Kota Tinggi who had been punished, undergo a thorough medical examination.
Raja Zarith arrived at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) at noon today and spent more than half an hour with Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi, 11, who slipped into a coma recently after allegedly being caned by the assistant warden of the religious school he attends.
Johor health and environment exco Datuk Ayub Rahmat, who accompanied Raja Zarith, said the Sultanah made the decree after visiting Thaqif, who is admitted at the hospital's high dependency ward.
"Raja Zarith decreed that we identify other students who had been punished by the assistant warden to receive a medical check-up," he said.
Ayub added that the Sultanah made the decree because she did not want to see a repeat of what had happened to Thaqif.
On Saturday, Thaqif slipped into a coma after both his legs were amputated by HSI doctors the day before in a desperate bid to prevent infection to tissues and blood cells in his body.
Doctors later found that his right hand had turned black due to a bacterial infection and blood clots had started to form on his left shoulder and they informed his family that his arm had also turned necrotic.
Thaqif had received blood-thinning medication to treat infections in his right arm and left shoulder, and the family is expected to know soon if the right arm needs to be amputated.
The boy's aunt Dzuraidah Ahmad, 38, said the boy's condition had not improved and his right arm and fingers have turned black again after showing signs of recovery on Sunday.
She added that doctors told them that only the forearm below the elbow would be amputated if needed.
The boy's mother Felda Wani Ahmad said her son had enrolled in the tahfiz school on Jan 27 and was very happy there initially.
"But of late, he wanted me to remove him from the school and said that he and his friend were often caned by the assistant warden," she said.
The assistant warden is currently under remand as police investigate the case. Reports said the 29-year-old has a previous criminal record and was convicted for theft and jailed for 30 months about three years ago. — Bernama