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| Police are investigating a Imperial dental centre in Bangsar here for negligence over the death of Datuk Syed Alman Zain Syed Alwi |
Bangsar dental centre being investigated
THE STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: Police are investigating a dental centre in Bangsar here for negligence over the death of Datuk Syed Alman Zain Syed Alwi during a procedure.
City police chief Comm Datuk Amar Singh said Syed Alman, who was the son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, had scheduled an appointment at the dental centre for a wisdom tooth removal on Wednesday.
During the surgery, Syed Alman, 44, was said to have lost consciousness, prompting the doctors to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation but they failed to resuscitate him, said Comm Amar Singh.
Syed Alman was pronounced dead at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)and the case has been classified as sudden death. Post-mortem results have yet to determine the cause of death, pending a toxicology report.
“We have started investigations (on the dental centre) under the offence of negligence, causing death,” Comm Amar Singh said.
Yesterday afternoon, three Health Ministry officials visited the centre, spending about two hours at the premises.
The dental centre, in a statement uploaded on its Facebook page late last night, said the procedure involving Syed Alman was a minor surgery done under sedation, with the presence of a trained medical practitioner.
It said it was making the statement to “dispel any public speculations or misconception as to the incident”.
The centre hoped the public would not to speculate otherwise and respect the family’s privacy during the difficult time.
“We also wish to record our deepest condolences to the family of our patient,” it said.
According to a family member, Syed Alman was rushed to UMMC after complications he suffered from surgery at the centre.
An investigation was underway to probe the death of Syed Alman, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
“My deepest condolences to the Deputy Prime Minister and his daughter Datuk Nurulhidayah for their loss.
“It is premature to determine the circumstances that led to this; we should let the investigative team complete its work,” he said.
According to Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners’ Association president Dr V. Nedunchelian, wisdom tooth removal surgeries are common, but things can go wrong if the dentist is unsure of the patient’s medical history or is not trained to handle the procedure.
He said with wisdom tooth removals, not getting the patient’s medical history and allergies to medicine could prove “problematic”.
“They must have someone observing the patient, checking his pulse and monitoring if he is going pale during the procedure. They must be able to revive the patient in case of any mishap,” Dr Nedunchelian said.
A statement released tonight on its website, the Imperial Dental Specialist Centre said it was making the statement to dispel any public speculation or misconception with regards to what had happened.
Syed Alman Zain was earlier reported as having lost consciousness during the surgery at 7pm yesterday.Following that, he was rushed to the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), where he was pronounced dead.
“We hope the public will not speculate otherwise and respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time,” the dental clinic’s statement further read.
It also said that those at the Imperial Dental Specialist Centre offered their deepest condolences to the family of the late son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid
Hamidi.
Hamidi.
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| Imperial Dental Specialist statement on Datuk Syed Alman |
