5 days ago
Hospital given two weeks to pay RM8.3mil
KUALA LUMPUR: A private hospital, which was slapped with a writ of seizure and sale over non-payment of RM8.32 million in a medical negligence case, has until July 23 to settle the amount before the seized items are auctioned.
The hospital, Hospital Islam Az-Zahrah in Bangi, Selangor, is owned by Medi-Circle Sdn Bhd.
Lawyers representing the claimant said they had seized inventory and Medi-Circle had 14 days to settle the amount, failing which the seized items would be sold via auction on a date to be determined by the court.
There are also guards stationed at the hospital to ensure that the items seized were not taken out of the premises.
The New Straits Times had tried, on numerous occasions, to contact the hospital, but it has yet to respond.
Checks, however, showed the hospital was still operating as usual, with visitors entering and exiting the premises.
The Health Ministry said it has taken note of this case and would monitor the situation.
The writ of seizure and sale was issued by the Kuala Lumpur High Court after the hospital failed to pay the claimant the court-ordered sum with interest after first losing the case in 2020.
The suit was filed by the family of a newborn baby, which claimed that their child suffered from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy due to medical negligence.
According to court judgments sighted by the NST, the High Court had on Sept 10, 2020, found the hospital liable for the baby girl's condition, a decision that was upheld by the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.
In their suit, the family claimed that their child was born prematurely at 26 weeks on Feb 26, 2003, as a result of negligent obstetric services at the hospital.
