THEGalen Centre for Health & Social Policy has renewed calls for the government to release an independent inquiry report into the 2016 fire at Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru (HSAJB), which killed six patients, as the tragedy marks its 10th anniversary.
The centre said the findings remained unavailable to the public despite the report being completed in 2018 and declassified in October 2019.
However, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said on Oct 25 that the ministry was in the final stages of preparing the report for public release. He said the ministry would also outline measures to prevent similar incidents at healthcare facilities.
Galen Centre chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said the delay had denied the families of the deceased and the public answers about the tragedy.
“Ten years is far too long for families to wait for answers. The report of the independent inquiry commissioned by the government was completed in 2018 and declassified in October 2019. The findings remain hidden from the Malaysian public,” he said.
The fire broke out at the hospital’s south intensive care unit on Oct 25, 2016, killing six patients who were receiving treatment.
An independent inquiry committee chaired by former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Md Yunus submitted its findings to the Health Ministry in June 2018.
The Cabinet agreed on Oct 2, 2019, to make the report public, and the ministry reclassified it as an open document on Oct 15 that year. Its publication was subsequently put on hold amid civil litigation involving victims’ families.
Azrul said Dzulkefly had received the inquiry findings during his first tenure as health minister and had initiated the declassification process.
“What is still preventing the Health Minister from fulfilling the commitment that he made? The government cannot keep hiding behind administrative explanations and procedural excuses,” he stated.
Reporting on the 225-page inquiry has highlighted concerns about fire safety preparedness, staff training, emergency evacuation procedures and institutional oversight.
The findings have prompted calls for the government to explain what went wrong and what measures have been implemented to prevent another tragedy.
Azrul said fire drills, evacuation training, functioning alarm systems and procedures for moving critically ill patients were fundamental requirements for healthcare facilities.
“If the Health Ministrycannot demonstrate that the public healthcare system has implemented the lessons from HSAJB, how can Malaysians be confident such a tragedy will not happen again? Every patient and healthcare worker deserves assurance that the government has learnt from this tragedy,” he stressed.
The Galen Centre also said previous justifications for withholding the report, particularly concerns about ongoing litigation, should no longer delay its release.
The centre said the remaining reported civil suits brought by victims’ families had been settled in early 2025.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) has also called for the report to be made public. Its chairman, Mohd Hishamudin, who chaired the independent inquiry, joined health advocates in urging the ministry to disclose the findings ahead of the anniversary.
The Galen Centre urged the Health Ministry to publish the full report and provide a public account of which recommendations had been implemented, which remained outstanding and what steps had been taken to improve patient and staff safety in government hospitals.
“An independent inquiry serves little purpose if its findings are concealed from the very people it was intended to protect,” Azrul said.
“Keeping the report out of public view undermines confidence in the government’s commitment to transparency and patient safety.
“Don’t kick the report to the next health minister to deal with it. Ten years is enough.”‒Oct 26, 2026
Main image: AP
