HAIL – Abdulaziz Al-Nekhailan, Director of Hail Hospital, announced his resignation before hospital employees during an after Eid party Saturday. Al-Nekhailan tendered his resignation after a medical malpractice complaint was lodged by the husband of a 26-year-old woman who was given the wrong type of blood resulting in a miscarriage. Relatives of the Saudi woman who also suffered from kidney failure, said the resignation was not enough and demanded that an investigation be carried out and those responsible for the medical error be held responsible. Al-Nekhailan, who had been director of the hospital since 2007, apologized and said he could not be held responsible for all patients. He added that he had sent his resignation letter to the Director General of Health Affairs in the region due to several reasons, most prominent of which is the lack of cooperation on part of the Directorate of Health Affairs which leads to serious medical errors. Other accusations Al-Nekhailan made against the Directorate of Health Affairs were: Not fulfilling the hospital's needs; delays in carrying out renovation work ordered by the Ministry of Health more than two years ago; delays in awarding maintenance contracts and carrying out maintenance work; awarding contracts to incompetent contractors; and utter failure in project management and engineering affairs. According to an official medical report, the Saudi woman was admitted to the hospital after lack of movement of the 36-week-old fetus. Doctors said the mother was suffering from anemia and ordered that a blood transfusion be carried out. When the wrong type of blood was given to the mother, she suffered a miscarriage and acute kidney failure. Doctors then performed an abortion to remove the dead fetus from her womb. She is currently has to undergo three sessions of dialysis ever week. — SG
