Malaysian Civil Defence Force deployed a lorry to move a 300kg patient from Besut to Kuala Terengganu after ambulances proved unsuitable for the task.

JERTIH: The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) in Besut used a lorry to transfer an obese patient weighing over 300 kilogrammes between hospitals today.

The 28-year-old man was moved from Besut Hospital to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ) in Kuala Terengganu after an emergency request from medical staff.

Besut Civil Defence officer Captain (PA) Mohd Fazlien Jaafar said the patient’s physical size made transport by regular ambulance or vehicle impossible.

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“APM received an emergency call from the hospital this morning, requesting special assistance to transport the patient, who had to be placed under sedation, to HSNZ,” he said.

He confirmed it was the second such operation involving the same patient in two days.

“We had transported the same patient from his home in Kampung Padang Luas to Besut Hospital yesterday, using the same lorry, before he was referred to HSNZ today.”

The patient arrived safely at HSNZ around 2.30 pm accompanied by a medical officer and several hospital staff.

Five APM personnel from the district were involved in the carefully coordinated transfer operation.

The patient’s elder brother, Muhamad Shafik Juraimi, 33, provided further context on the medical situation.

He said his brother, Muhammad Azrol Haffiz, was taken to Besut Hospital’s Emergency Unit around 8 pm yesterday due to a leg infection.

“At first, we contacted an ambulance, but my brother, who was conscious and able to walk with assistance, was unable to enter the vehicle due to his physical condition,” he explained.

He added that his brother’s weight increased significantly after his leg became swollen early last year.

Medical officers informed the family the patient was referred to HSNZ for treatment of a bloodstream infection.

 The Sun Malaysia