KUALA LUMPUR: A rape victim was shocked when she had to pay RM430 for a three-day medical examination at a government hospital.
The 13-year-old girl was taken to the hospital in January by a police investigator after a report was lodged.
After an examination, the victim was told that she had to be admitted to the ward for further check-ups.
The medical officer explained she could not be discharged until she undergoes a psychological assessment for the purpose of completing the medical report.
After being discharged, the hospital management told her to submit a copy of the police report for her to be exempted from paying the hospital bill.
“I have submitted two police reports to the hospital. However, after three months, I received a bill from the hospital.
“I was surprised that the bill was charged to me, not my caretaker, as I am still under their guardianship and under the age of 18,” she told the NSTP today.
She said her father is a citizen but she still did not have an identity card and was therefore considered a non-citizen.
“An error was made when my father registered my birth which caused me to have non-citizen status.
“However, my two younger siblings are citizens while I have been waiting for two years for my citizenship status to be granted.
“I was born in Sabah, am I not eligible for free medical service?” she questioned.
It was previously reported that the teenager was abused by her father, and she also claimed to have been raped and abused by her cousins since she was five years old.
The incidents were witnessed by her seven-year-old brother. It was reported that the abuse took place in Kunak, Sabah, when the victim’s parents were not at home.
The victim was taken by her mother to the Peninsula with two of her younger siblings in October last year due to the failure of the relevant parties in Sabah to resolve cases involving the victim.
The teenager, who is now staying in Sepang, Selangor, was present with her guardian to report the incident at the Sepang District Police Headquarters on Jan 24.
Examinations by Serdang Hospital specialist confirmed that there was a previous injury on the victim’s genitals.
The case was referred to Sabah police.
Meanwhile, Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, when contacted, said he would review the complaint.