Summary
In February 2026, the High Court ordered the government to pay RM5.63 million in damages to a nine-year-old boy who suffered serious brain damage during birth at Hospital Teluk Intan in 2017. The boy now lives with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy and requires lifelong medical, rehabilitation, and caregiving support.
According to the court documents, the child was born on 22 January 2017 but suffered a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain during delivery, resulting in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Since birth, he has been completely dependent on others, unable to move on his own, and needs to be fed.
The child, through his father, filed a civil suit against the government and 15 doctors. On 22 August 2022, the government admitted liability, leaving the court to determine only the amount of damages payable. In assessing damages, the court accepted the unchallenged evidence of the plaintiff’s rehabilitation medicine expert, noting that the government did not call its own expert witnesses.
The largest portion of the award was for long-term care and accommodation, including a full-time maid, nursing care, respite care for the parents, the purchase of a suitable terraced house, and a multipurpose vehicle fitted with a hydraulic wheelchair lift. The judgment sum is to be held in trust by the boy’s father for the child’s welfare and benefit.
Compensation Received:
RM5,632,530.00 in damages:-
Long-term care and accommodation: RM3,076,797.00
Future medical consultations and therapy: RM942,886.00
Future medications: RM399,586.00
Equipment and aids: RM387,004.00
Future surgeries: RM65,000.00
Special damages: RM168,873.00
Pre-trial damages: RM192,384.00
General damages for pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life: RM400,000.00
Costs:
RM120,000.00
Shuhazani Bt Shoib (Menyaman Melalui Suami Dan Wakil Litigasinya, Mohd Irwan Bin Idris) v Kerajaan Malaysia [2024] MLJU 795
Summary
In 2024, the KL High Court awarded RM3.8 million to Shuhazani Shoib in a medical negligence case against Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
In 2016, during her 33rd week of pregnancy, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia (high blood pressure). Despite the diagnosis, her condition was mismanaged, leading to complications such as acute pulmonary edema, HELLP syndrome (pregnancy condition that affects the liver and blood, causing damage and increasing the risk for serious complications for both the mother and baby), kidney injury, and brain damage.
Her baby died in the womb after delayed treatment, including a postponed emergency C-section. Shuhazani experienced severe health issues, spent 18 days in the ICU, and eventually left the hospital bedridden with irreversible brain injuries, requiring lifelong care.
Compensation Received:
RM3.8 million:-
- General damages: RM500,000.00
- Aggravated damages: RM300,000.00
- Special damages: RM94,187.48
- Pre-trial damages: RM63,000.00
- Costs: RM278,996.45