The Star, Friday April 13, 2012

Doctor was planning his wedding

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Lee Chang Tat (pic), who was found dead in a restroom at Kajang Hospital, had been busy planning for his wedding ceremony in December.

 

 

His sister said there was no reason for the trainee doctor to kill himself, adding that the 29-year-old had registered his marriage last November.

“I did not notice anything unusual in his behaviour. Since his wife is staying with us, he would usually be home after work.

“His wife told me that he was still messaging her as at 2am on Wednesday – the day he was found dead,” she said at their home in Taman Mahkota, Kajang, where the wake is being held.

The sister, who wanted to be known as Ms Lee, also rubbished reports that her brother, the youngest of three siblings, was involved in drugs.

Dr Lee was found dead in the restroom of the paediatrics ward at the Kajang Hospital by hospital staff in the morning. There was a used syringe beside him. Police believe that Dr Lee had overdosed on an unidentified drug.

Ms Lee said her brother, who graduated from Crimea State University in Russia, had stopped working at the hospital a year after he began his housemanship in 2008.

“He stopped to go into business. But nine months later, he applied to work at the hospital again under the condition that he re-do his two-year housemanship.

“He was passionate about his job since he was willing to undergo the same pressure twice,” Ms Lee said in an interview yesterday.

Condolences: Liow meeting Dr Lee’s father at his house in Kajang where the wake was being held yesterday.

 

She also described her brother, who would have completed his housemanship this September, as “obedient and courteous”.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai also visited the family.

In a statement, Kajang Hospital refuted reports that Lee had been working for five consecutive days before his death, adding that he was given rest days on April 7 and 10.

“We checked the roster and found that the Graduate Medical Officer Flexi Timetable system was followed,” said its director Dr Kuldip Kaur, adding that Dr Lee had only worked 57 hours in the week before he died.

The system, which began in September last year, requires housemen to work 60 hours a week with two days off.

Dr Kuldip also said there were enough doctors working at the hospital, adding that there were about 180 trainee doctors. “It is enough, so nobody is stressed out.”

Dr Kuldip said the hospital was carrying out a detailed investigation into the cause of Dr Lee’s death.

“It will be submitted to the Health Ministry.”