A Saudi father has urged authorities to take action against various hospitals and polyclinics in Al-Hassa in the Eastern Province, which he holds responsible for his son’s death after they allegedly failed to diagnose his severe brain damage in time.
“My son, Muhammad bin Taleb Al-Hasan, died due to a failure in diagnosing the cause of his severe headaches. I took my son to five hospitals and polyclinics in Al-Hassa region within one month. They were not able to diagnose his disease and that resulted in his condition getting worse, eventually leading to his death,” he said.
The father of eight-year-old Muhammad, a resident of Al-Romaila village in Al-Hassa, told Al-Riyadh Arabic daily that his son started complaining about severe headaches one month ago.
“I noticed substantial changes in his behavior, as he had lost his enthusiasm and activeness. He always wanted to sleep, and had no desire to go outside to play,” he said.
The father then took him to the nearby private polyclinic in Al-Omran Baladiya. The doctor who checked him said that there was nothing to worry about and prescribed antibiotics.
“Even after taking the medication, there was no improvement in his condition. So I took him again to the same clinic. That time, another doctor checked him and a blood test was carried out. After the test, the doctor said that it was a simple headache and would be cured with more medication,” he added.
There was still no improvement and the boy’s condition worsened after a few weeks. “I took Muhammad to another polyclinic, and the doctor there also could not see any problem with his head,” the father said.
“Anyhow, he referred Muhammad to Al-Jafar General Government Hospital and he was admitted to the emergency section there.”
After a consultation, Muhammad was put on a glucose drip. He was in tears from the pain by then, holding his head with both hands, his father said.
“The duty doctor advised me to take him to the Maternity and Children’s Hospital, 30 km away from there,” he added. The father, who cannot drive, accused hospital authorities of rejecting his request to arrange for an ambulance to take his son to the hospital.
“When my son started screaming due to the severe pain, the duty doctor asked the nurse to give two sedatives. After applying the first injection, my son opened his eyes and asked for my mobile to play with,” he said.
“After playing with it for nearly two minutes, he dropped the mobile and he again started crying, complaining of severe headaches, and subsequently fell into a coma,” he said.
The next day, a doctor told the father to take the child to King Fahd Hospital in Hofuf on his own expense, as the scanning machine at Al-Jafar was not working.
Muhammad was rushed to King Fahd Hospital, where it was revealed through a brain scan that his condition was very serious. He was finally diagnosed with severe brain inflammation and cerebral damage, but by then it was too late.
Arab News