PORT DICKSON: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad will meet the family of a 12-year old boy from Pasir Gudang, Johor, who is suffering from myokymia.
He said he understood Irfan Wafiy Idham Wazir's plight and promised to meet his parents to not only provide an explanation but also ensure the child received proper medical treatment.
“I will personally meet with Irfan's family soon. I was in Pasir Gudang last week but was unable to visit him.
“I would like to stress that in this matter, I understand how worried the parents of Irfan are and at the same time will take the responsibility to provide an explanation as best as possible”.
“In addition, Irfan Wafiy will be treated by pediatric experts and neurologists to ascertain (the seriousness of) his disease.”
Dr Dzulkefly said this to reporters after opening the ‘Program Kampungku Sihat’ programme at Pantai Saujana here today.
Also present was Port Dickson Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Negri Sembilan Health Department director, Datuk Dr Zainudin Mohd Ali.
Dr Dzulkefly, however, said myokymia was not necessarily caused by chemicals, adding that medical experts would look into the disease as well as its cause.
“I am confident that this matter could be managed well even though I know how concerned the parents are,” he said.
On whether pollutants at Sungai Kim Kim could have caused the child’s disease, Dr Dzulkefly said the cause could not be ascertained at the moment.
He added that there was a need to go through the child’s medical history to find out what transpired.
“The medical record and history of the patient which could not be made public as it involves medical ethics.
“We have not ascertained the cause of his myokymia and I stress that myokymia was not due to the presence of chemicals in his blood as it was all negative, whereas the cause and the reason have yet to be ascertained.
Myokymia is a type of ailment which causes several parts of the body to tremble.
Irfan, the fourth of five siblings and a pupil of SK Taman Bukit Dahlia, was admitted to Sultan Ismail Hospital (SIH) following the March incident.
Specialists at SIH had carried out examinations, including magnetic resonance imaging, to determine the cause of his trembles.
Irfan’s case was referred to Kuala Lumpur Hospital where he was diagnosed with myokymia as a result of inhaling poisonous gases.
