“The police are investigating the case and we have given our full cooperation to them.”

In a Bernama report, the minister said she had been advised not to comment on the case until the investigation had been completed.

“We are conducting an internal investigation to find out more details,” she told reporters after opening the Balik Pulau Hospital emergency and outpatient department in Penang.

A video has been widely shared on social media showing Dea Maisarah’s father, Bada Hussein, accusing the hospital of negligence.

Bada said he had received a call from his wife on July 9 informing him that Dea Maisarah, who had a fever and a cold, suddenly had difficulty breathing.

He took his daughter to HTAR and waited for around 45 minutes for her to receive treatment. Her oxygen levels dropped and his daughter’s hands and feet had to be bound as she resisted a doctor’s attempts to draw blood, he said.

After the blood was drawn, Dea Maisarah became stiff and was then pronounced dead, he said.

He alleged that hospital staff then filed a police report, saying Dea Maisarah died due to negligence on the part of the family when they brought her to HTAR.

On Friday, hospital director Dr Zulkarnain Rawi said Dea Maisarah was in a weak condition when she was brought to the hospital, adding that while the girl received “appropriate treatment” by emergency specialists, she could not be saved.

The dispute arose because the hospital reportedly declared Dea Maisarah “brought in dead”.

Zulkarnain said the hospital’s forensic department was investigating the girl’s death.