Kota kinabalu: The 80th witness in the inquest proceedings into the death of Zara Qairina, her father Mahathir Mohd Hashim, 45, told the Coroner's Court here today that had she survived, his daughter would have remained in a permanent coma. Mahathir testified that a female physician conveyed this to him during a visit to his daughter, who was then warded in the Emergency Unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital I on July 16 last year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mahathir said he was also informed that Zara Qairina's condition at the time was critical, with serious injuries including cerebral haemorrhage, lung and kidney damage, as well as a fractured leg. "While I was at Zara's bedside with the other doctors, I noticed that the pillow under her head was soaked with blood. I held her head and kissed her forehead. When I touched the back of her head, I could feel that the upper portion of her neck was soft and appeared to have a depression. I saw Zara's left leg was wrapped in a bandage from her thigh down to her foot," he said, while reading his witness statement before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Mahathir testified that he arrived at the hospital's Emergency Unit between 1 pm and 3 pm on July 16, after being informed that Zara Qairina was hospitalised. Upon arrival, he saw the teenager's mother, Noraidah Lamat, outside the emergency unit and immediately inquired about their daughter's whereabouts. After Noraidah gave him directions, Mahathir said he proceeded to his daughter's bedside after obtaining permission from a nurse at the unit, where he observed two female doctors dressed in dark blue uniforms attending to her.
However, Mahathir said he could not recall the doctors' names, nor did he know their positions or ranks. He further testified that his consent was never sought for a post-mortem examination to be conducted on Zara Qairina. Mahathir testified that he was present at Queen Elizabeth Hospital I on July 17, 2025, when a doctor pronounced Zara Qairina dead. He said he remained at the hospital from July 16 to 17 and slept within the premises while awaiting updates on his daughter's condition.
He added that he had met with several female teachers outside the emergency unit and inquired about what had actually happened to Zara Qairina, as well as whether they were wardens. "However, they only introduced themselves as the History teacher and the Bahasa Melayu teacher," he said. When asked by Coroner Amir Shah whether he wished to say anything after concluding his testimony, Mahathir said he no longer wanted Zara Qairina's name to be associated with any falsehoods, and expressed his hope that the inquest proceedings would be concluded fairly.
Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4 am. The Attorney-General's Chambers ordered her remains exhumed for a post-mortem on Aug 8, before announcing a formal inquest into her death on Aug 13. The proceedings will resume on Wednesday.