Another National Service Trainee Dies. What Excuses Now?

A National Service trainee at the Cheneh Cemerlang camp in Kemaman died on the way to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) Hospital here Saturday night.

Mohd Rafi Ameer, 18, died at 10.30pm after having fever since last week, his sister, Zubaidah, said Sunday.

Jubaidah, 25, when met at the hospital, said her brother called her at their home in Bukit Rotan, Kuala Selangor, last Saturday, to inform her that he had fever and his leg was swollen for nearly week after he fell during training.

She claimed that she contacted the camp management to enquire about her brother's condition but was admonished and told that the management could look after Mohd Rafi.

Jubaidah said she called the camp again last night and was told that her brother had been sent to the Kemaman Hospital

She decided to go to the hospital at 8.30pm but when she called the hospital authorities while on her way there, they told her that Mohd Rafi had died on the way to HTAA.

She said Mohd Rafi was the fourth among six siblings and they are orphans living with their uncle in Kuala Selangor.

National Service (NS) Training Department Director-General Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil told reporters that Mohd Rafi was admitted to the Kemaman Hospital yesterday before being referred to HTAA. "We're waiting for the outcome of the post-mortem for the cause of death," he said.

He said a committee headed by the deputy Training Operations Sector director-general, Jamaluddin Masrin, would be set up to investigate the case including the complaint by Mohd Rafi's family and whether he had reported any sickness during training at the camp.

Mohd Rafi was one of 137 trainees at the Cheneh Cemerlang NS training camp under Group 3 of the fourth series and was scheduled to complete training on September 8. (Bernama)

***** Another young life snuffed out. If it is true that he had fallen down and injured himself a week prior to his death and nothing was done about it, then someone has to pay for this gross negligence. What has happened to the much vaunted guidelines and procedures which are supposed to be in place and practiced by the camp management?
Image - Source