Kuala lumpur: The leukaemia treatment medication obtained through public donations for a female patient from Limbang, Sarawak, will be donated to another needy recipient after the patient died before receiving the treatment. Sarimah Mingai, the mother of the late Nurul Fithriyani Mahrip, 31, shared that her family had come to terms with the situation, acknowledging that their efforts to give her daughter the new treatment were in vain after Nurul Fithriyani contracted an infection while being treated at the University Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Sarimah expressed her hope that, although her daughter did not have the chance to use the medicine, it can still benefit other patients who require treatment. She conveyed this sentiment to Bernama at Pusrawi Specialist Medical Centre Kuala Lumpur. The family had relocated to Kuala Lumpur in October 2024, moving through three rented homes to facilitate treatment for Nurul Fithriyani, who was diagnosed with leukaemia about two months after her marriage.
Sarimah recounted that the deceased, who passed away on April 11, was previously active and did not suffer from any serious health issues, and had even undergone a health check-up before her marriage. Sarimah and her husband, Mahrip Onga, expressed gratitude to all donors and parties, including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Pusrawi Specialist Hospital Kuala Lumpur, and PPUM, who assisted in the efforts to secure treatment for their daughter.
On April 5, Fadillah visited Nurul Fithriyani to provide assistance to her parents and her husband, Mohd Taufiq Abd Rahim. Sarimah mentioned that her daughter had undergone various treatments, such as chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, and stem cell transplant, but her health continued to decline.
Meanwhile, Pusrawi Specialist Medical Center Kuala Lumpur hemato-oncology consultant Dr. Mohd Hishamuddin Harun explained that the deceased was suffering from blood cancer (Relapsed or Refractory B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia or R/R B-ALL), which requires intensive treatment and incurs high costs. He noted that the next treatment option was antibody treatment or 'targeted therapy', but the medication is not available in Malaysia and needs to be imported.
Dr. Mohd Hishamuddin added that despite managing to expedite the process of obtaining the licence and the supply of the medicine, the patient passed away due to an infection before treatment could commence. He also mentioned that the decision to donate the medicine and remaining funds to other patients was made following the opinion of the hospital's Shariah panel.