Johor announces compensation to kins of hospital fire victims

The Johor state government has decided to give compensation to the next of kins and victims of the fire at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) yesterday, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said the agreement was reached at the meeting of the State Executive Council today.

"We decided that for every victim who died, the next of kin will receive a compensation of RM2,000, while victims who were severely injured will receive RM5,000 and those who were injured will receive RM3,000," he told reporters after officiating the 'Unit Swadaya Insan Negeri Johor' here, today.

For the burial ceremony, the Menteri Besar had asked the State Exco for Solidarity and Human Resource R. Vidyananthan to look at the cost implication to the families of the victims for state government aid.

"This represents the Johor state government's contribution to them," he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled also hoped that the Health Ministry would provide an emergency plan so that such an incident would not recur.

"We hope the ministry has such things (emergency plan) and we also believe such an incident will not recur and also learn a lesson especially for buildings as old as the HSA," he said when commenting whether the state government would provide a contingency plan for the hospital.

In the incident at about 9am yesterday, six patients died when the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward on the second floor of the five-storey HSA building caught fire, while another patient was rescued.

Three hospital staff were injured and were now being treated at the Hospital Sultan Ismail. -- BERNAMA