KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — UEM Edgenta is waiting for the Health Ministry’s investigation of a fatal accident involving a public hospital ambulance maintained by the company.
The government-linked company’s brief comments came after Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad told the press Tuesday that the ministry was close to completing its inquiry on the crash of a Slim River Hospital ambulance last August 4, allegedly caused by a burst tyre, that killed a patient and the driver.
“As per the statements by the Ministry and even the Minister, we are guided by the inquiry report,” a UEM Edgenta corporate communications official told CodeBlue.
Dzulkefly pledged action on any recommendations by the inquiry, stressing the importance of the safety of patients and public health care workers.
Just three weeks after the August 4 road traffic accident, another ambulance from Slim River Hospital in Perak suffered a tyre explosion on August 28, but the vehicle didn’t crash.
Several Slim River Hospital staff have complained that the public hospital’s ambulances previously suffered tyre bursts up to three times this year before the fatal August 4 accident, and three more times last year.
An ambulance from Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Kedah crashed in July 2018, also allegedly due to a tyre blowout, causing a patient’s death and leaving the surviving doctor crippled with a permanent disability.
UEM Edgenta maintains ambulances in both government facilities, among other support services to 32 Ministry of Health hospitals in the northern region.
