A Saudi woman has accused a public hospital south of Jeddah of negligence in treating her seven-year-old grandson, Mohammed Hattan, following surgery he underwent to treat congenital birth defects in his head, back and feet. The defect caused the deterioration in the health condition of Hattan, who was born in a private hospital in Jeddah. "The doctor told us that he suffered from congenital defect in his back and needs surgery to modify a twist in the legs," the grandmother said. "He was transferred to King Abdulaziz Hospital at Al-Mahjar because we could not afford the treatment at the private hospital. After examination, the doctor decided to perform surgery for him on the head and the foot. He underwent three surgeries already and suffered medical negligence post surgery," she said. The woman said she sent a request to the authorities to treat her grandson locally or abroad. The ministry referred the newborn to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah and Riyadh, as well as King Fahd Hospital of the Armed Forces and King Fahd General Hospital. However, all hospitals issued reports indicating a lack of potential treatments. "I sent another letter to the authorities and a new approval came to transfer the child to the King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah," she said. However, the hospital issued a report stating that the condition had no treatment in local hospitals and recommended to take the child to a specialized center outside the country, she said. The grandmother explained that she is responsible for the boy since his birth as his mother has an illness that prevents her from caring for him. She noted that she has a power of attorney for his custody and to treat him at local hospitals, yet the Ministry of Health refused to deal with reports issued by hospitals regarding the child's condition. The media coordinator in the Ministry of Health, Abdul Rahman Al-Shammari, did not respond to requests for a statement on the case. A source at Health Affairs in Jeddah said: "Treatment of citizens abroad at the expense of the government happens with a request from the ministry after the referral of a patient to local hospitals for examination. When hospitals refuse treatment, public administration bodies and medical and health attachés refer the matter to the specialized medical committee studying such cases and issue the appropriate decision."
