The Medical Shariah Board here issued a judgment earlier this week in favor of a 40-year-old man who suffered permanent loss of movement in his feet due to a neurosurgeon's error at a private hospital. The doctor has been ordered to pay SR50,000 to the victim for the damage he caused and SR5000 as penalty for the faulty surgery. The Saudi man, identified only as Kh. W., told Al-Watan newspaper, “The surgeon pushed me to accept surgery in the spinal cord area in spite of the inherent risks.” Prior to the surgery, he was able to walk normally. But after the surgery his feet movement became heavy and his condition worsened. Upon extensive examination by another specialist in a government hospital, it was discovered that a grave medical error had caused the disability in his feet. He immediately submitted a complaint to the Medical Shariah Board in Jeddah against the neurosurgeon and he demanded to take his legal right from the doctor. Sheikh Abdulrahman Ajeeri, chairman of the Medical Shariah Board in Jeddah, pointed out that the board had considered the case and issued a ruling both in the private and public rights.
