THE STAR (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) 18 May 05 Family’s shyness nearly costs sisters their lives
Alor Star: Two sisters who were bitten by a venomous snake in Kampung Kelonchor near here were only sent to the hospital the next day as the family members were too shy to seek their neighbours’ help.
Nurul Hosna Ahmad, 13, and her sister Nurul Halimaton Saadiah Ahmad, seven, were bitten by a 15cm-long black and white striped ular ketam tebu at 1pm at their home on Monday.
They were only taken to the hospital at 11am yesterday after their father Ahmad Man, who works as a security guard in Alor Star, returned home.
Ahmad, 64, said he did not understand why none of his family members had called him at work to inform him about the incident.
“I also do not know why they did not open their mouth to ask for help from the neighbours,” said Ahmad, who lives with his 45-year-old wife and six children in a double-storey kampung house.
He said the distance from the village to the Alor Star Hospital was 10km.
“It is by Allah’s grace that the children are still alive. I thought that by the time we reach the hospital they would be dead because their condition was really bad,” he added.
Ahmad said he had sought a neighbour’s help to drive the children to the hospital.
Nurul Hosna said she was playing with her sister when the snake entered the house and slid underneath a rag in the kitchen.
“The snake bit my right hand when I went to take the rag to wipe off spilled water on the kitchen floor. The snake then bit my little sister on her left hand,” said Nurul Hosna.
She said her sister Nurul Hayati, 12, killed the snake and threw the carcass into the river.
“I do not remember much after that because I felt dizzy. I saw Nurul Halimaton fainting before I passed out,” she added.
Nurul Halimaton was in a semi-conscious state at the hospital yesterday.
Family’s shyness nearly costs sisters their lives