KOTA KINABALU, Sept 9 — A medical officer from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital I's Hospital (HQE) Emergency and Trauma Department told the Coroner's Court 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 of having 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 statement on the fourth day of the inquest proceedings.
She said a trauma alert was activated at 4.42am to enable an immediate referral to the Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Surgery, and Anaesthesiology departments, while resuscitation procedures were simultaneously carried out on the victim.
When 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 added 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 secnd, third, and fourth lumbar vertebrae were also broken," Dr Voo said.
Besides the witness, several other staff, including paramedics and his superior officer, one 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’s family, she 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," Dr Voo said.
The inquest proceedings before Coroner Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan will continue after the lunch break.
Zara, 13, died at HQE on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar at 4am.
On August 8, the AGC issued an order to exhume her remains to enable a post-mortem to be conducted, and on August 13, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) ordered an inquest after reviewing the investigation report submitted by the police.
