No Bruises, Signs Of Abuse Found On Zara Qairina's Body - Doctor

KOTA KINABALU, Sept  9 (Bernama) -- A medical officer from the Emergency and Trauma Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital (HQE), told the Coroner's Court here today that no bruises or signs of abuse were found on Zara Qairina Mahathir’s body when she received the teenager for examination on July 16.

According to Dr Janefer Voo, 32, the Form One student was brought to the department by an assistant medical officer and an ambulance team in an unconscious state, but the mechanism of injury was not known at the time.

"The examination results found that there were no bruises or signs of abuse on the patient's body. However, it indicated that she was suspected to have suffered severe brain injuries and internal bleeding.

"Due to the victim’s critically low blood pressure, it was suspected that the teenager had sustained internal injuries caused by a high-impact force, which resulted in internal bleeding," said the third witness while reading out her witness statement on the fourth day of the inquest proceedings into the teenager’s death.

She said a trauma alert was activated at 4.42 am to enable an immediate referral to the Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Surgery, and Anaesthesiology departments, while resuscitation procedures were simultaneously carried out on the victim.

Questioned by the case officer, Deputy Chief Prosecutor II Datuk Badius Zaman Ahmad, regarding the victim's 'survival rate' when brought to the emergency department, Dr Voo said she was unsure at the time but, based on the initial assessment, only knew that the victim was in a very critical condition.

She explained that the patient’s blood test results showed several abnormalities, including a high white blood cell count and a potassium level in the medium-low range, which could have been caused by the body’s physiological stress response to trauma.

 "The x-ray results found that the patient suffered a closed fracture, the end of the radius bone of the right hand, a closed fracture of the end of the tibia bone and the ankle of the right leg. An open fracture at the end of the tibia bone, ankle and heel of the left leg. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae were also broken," she said.

Dr Voo said besides herself, several other staff, including paramedics and his superior officer,  by the name of Dr Rahim, as well as other doctors from the trauma team were involved in the initial treatment.

To a question by lawyer Rizwandean M Borhan, representing Zara Qairina’s family, the witness said the team did not contact the police when the patient was taken to the emergency department because the victim was in a critical condition and priority was given to stabilising her.

 "I did not see any police officers or the victim's mother at the emergency department on the day of the incident," she said.

The inquest proceedings before Coroner Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan will continue after the lunch break.

Zara Qairina, 13, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar at 4 am.

On Aug 8, the AGC issued an order to exhume Zara Qairina's body to enable a post-mortem to be conducted, and on Aug 13, the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) ordered an inquest after reviewing the investigation report submitted by the police.

-- BERNAMA