PETALING JAYA: Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) has clarified that there was a misunderstanding about its charges after a video of an unknown woman making an impassioned plea for help for her husband’s hospital bills.
In the video, the woman, whose identity is unknown, said she had no other idea how to ask for help but to turn to social media.
In the video she pointed out that her husband was admitted to HUKM after developing certain Covid-19 symptoms.
“An ambulance from HUKM took him to the hospital. After that we did not receive any updates on his condition and I had to go to the hospital to get a proper update,” she said.
Upon arriving at the hospital she was informed that her husband was currently suffering from stage 5 of the highly infectious disease.
The woman who identified herself as a housewife said she had three children under her care, with one of her children being a disabled child.
“Five days after my husband’s admission, the hospital rang me up and informed me that I had to pay a deposit of RM5,000 for his medical bills. I am a housewife and he was our sole breadwinner. I do not know how I am going to pay this deposit. We are a part of the B40 group and we cannot afford to pay such an amount,” she said in tears.
The distraught housewife also pointed out that the Health Ministry (MoH) had not made any attempts to reach out to her children and her, hence forcing them to self-quarantine themselves in their own home.
“We have begun to develop the symptoms too. My two children have complained that they have lost their sense of smell and taste and so have I. However I am unable to say whether or not my third child is having similar symptoms as they cannot speak,” she lamented.
It was also highlighted that the woman and her children have not been tested for the virus as she claimed there has been no attempt by MoH to reach out to the family.
With no other choice, they have resorted to self medicating themselves with paracetamols as the only option at hand.
“We cannot afford to pay the RM5,000 deposit and this is my last option to call out for help. Please help me viral this video until it reaches the higher authorities. We are struggling as it is,” she pleaded to netizens on social media.
She added that she has received some help from her family but they could only do so much as they have been struggling themselves since the start of the pandemic.
“Please open your eyes to the struggles of the B40. If I had known this was going to be the outcome, I would have never sent my husband to the hospital in the first place. To the higher authorities, I am pleading once more, please look into the struggles of the B40 due to this pandemic. Please help us,” she pleaded at the end of the video, eyes filled with tears.
Meanwhile in a statement issued by the hospital on its official Facebook page, the hospital said they had already contacted the family.
“We would like to clarify that there has been a misunderstanding about charges to the patients. However, we would like to add that this matter has been resolved and the hospital has also contacted the family of the patient,” the statement read.
