A 32-year-old patient escaped the ward in a private hospital in Kedah after she found that her insurance is not covering for the illness she is treating.
According to Harian Metro, Kuala Muda district police chief ACP Zaidy Che Hassan said the woman was admitted to the hospital at 6.40 pm on 24 October, but she went missing four hours later.
“At 9.30 pm, the hospital informed the woman that her insurance does not cover the treatment. Thus, she refused to be treated and demanded to leave the ward.”
“The nurse then told the doctor that the patient has since been discharged and she will be paying up the balance and taking medication at the pharmacy,” he said.
However, at 10.40 pm, the patient was no where to be found in the ward, nor she had made any payment.
Zaidy said the hospital management attempted to contact the woman through her phone but to no avail.
Even the police failed to reach her
After the police report was lodged, the police too, tailed to reach her.
“The police also contacted the patient, but there was no answer. They even tried to find her at home but she was not at home and the door was locked,” Zaidy said.
He said the preliminary investigation found that the woman was suffering a stomachache when she was sent to the hospital.
“The examination found that the patient had gastritis, but her insurance policy did not cover for such illness, so she was discharged from the ward.”
“We are still conducting further investigations and are tracking the patient,” he said.
