PETALING JAYA, June 4 — Doctors who are visited by patients seeking treatment for questionable injuries are obliged to report such cases to police.

Medical practitioners have taken the Hippocratic Oath, in which the modern version covers several important ethical issues between doctors and patients, including working towards the benefit of the health of the patient and to be accountable for his or her actions should problems arise.

On Thursday, Navy cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, 21, died after he was tortured on several occasions beginning May 13. He had earlier received medical treatment at a private clinic in Bangi.

Yet, no police report over his suspected injuries was lodged.

Malaysia Medical Association president Dr Ravindran R. Naidu said patients are to receive immediate treatment as no medical practitioner should deny treatment to their patients despite the cause behind it.

“If patients come in with injuries that are suspected to be caused by assault or abuse, a police report should be made by the doctor, whether in private or public health institutions.

“However, private general practitioners are usually concerned over the implications over lodging a report, which is the legal process such as being called to court,” he said yesterday.

Dr Ravindran said private clinics, however, had the option of referring the patient to a public hospital after giving the necessary treatment at the private facility.

He said the common standard procedure when any element of assault or abuse is found in a patient’s injuries would be to require further health management from a hospital.

“In the case of a government hospital, the institution would definitely inform the police if suspicion of assault or abuse is found to be the cause of the injuries.

“We must inform the police as we should not condone such acts,” he said.

Zulfarhan, who was an undergraduate of National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM), was brought to Assalam Clinic in Bangi by three fellow cadets for medical treatment on May 27.

The victim was scheduled for a follow-up treatment on Wednesday at the same clinic but failed to turn up. He was found unresponsive and unconscious in an apartmen in Bangi wheret= he was staying, and was rushed to Serdang Hospital.

His tragic death from his injuries was due to torture he received over an alleged theft.