Can coma patients be sent home from public hospital—what is the procedure?
This seems to be the scenario facing the unfortunate family of a young accident victim, as highlighted in Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau's social media feed, which tells of a heart-wrenching story a young accident victim in Johor's Sultanah Aminah hospital.
According to the Tuaran MP, the victim was from his constituency but more pertinently, the victim was in a coma and that the hospital had informed the next of kin that he was about to be discharged.
The former Sabah deputy chief minister also said the victim's family are at a loss on how to deal with this scenario.
How is the victim going to be moved from the hospital, let alone transported to his home state of Sabah? What sort of assistance was the family going to receive to aid in the victim's recovery?
Tangau further claimed he has personally communicated this case to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad who vowed to take necessary action. Dr Dzulkefly had also asked to be updated.
The Sabahan lawmaker pleaded to the relevant hospital administrators to NOT move the victim till he has made a recovery or at the very least, conscious. He also reached out to the public at large for donations to help with the daily care of the victim, which was very costly.
The post has already generated 2.9k likes, over 1k comments and 629 shares highlighting that many Malaysians' heartstrings have been tugged.
So under what circumstances can the hospital release a patient still in a coma?
Quite a few commenters were shocked that a patient in a coma could be discharged.
Amid the many well-wishers and prayers for a speedy recovery, the former state trade and industry minister provided a gut-wrenching update.
The chief administrator at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital said that the victim had officially been declared 'brain dead', hence the decision to release him.
This has been agreed upon by the Health Minister who agreed with the decision was also accepted by the victim's next of kin.
It is tragic for certain but such episodes highlight the need for greater healthcare facilities alongside properly trained staff to care for the ill and infirm.
However, it does appear that all proper procedures had been followed in this case and the relevant authorities have had to make the painful decision to discharge a brain dead patient.
One can be assured that there will be many more such instances cropping up as the health crisis in the country continues to worsen, with facilities as well as professional caregivers in drastic short supply. ‒ July 17, 2025
Main image: Facebook/Wilfred Madius Tangau
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