NAJRAN — The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is investigating the death of a 23-year-old woman suffering from low platelet count who died at King Khaled Hospital in Najran when she was apparently given a transfusion of contaminated blood. Dr. Ehlam Al-Qatari, a hematology consultant at King Fahd Hospital in Al-Khobar, said: “Blood transfusions can be lifesaving if done properly.” A medical report issued by the hospital states the cause of Saeeda's death as toxemia that caused the failure of her respiratory and blood circulatory systems. The report also indicated that the woman was suffering from multiple organ failure. Muhammad Hadi Al-Mahamid, Saeeda's father, said she was suffering from high temperature and anemia when she was admitted to the emergency ward of the King Khaled Hospital. He said when the doctors examined her they prescribed blood transfusion; and when she received the blood her complexion changed and she started vomiting. The attending doctors defended their case by saying that these were normal symptoms associated with blood transfusion. Al-Qatari said when the woman's complexion turned yellow and she started vomiting doctors should have stopped the transfusion. Repeated calls by Okaz/Saudi Gazette to the Ministry of Health for a comment have so far been unanswered. A source at the NSHR said a report carried by the two newspapers convinced officials at the society to open an investigation into the case. He said the society would contact all parties involved in the case including the treating doctors and officials at the Health Affairs Department in Najran to find out the steps and procedures taken in the case. The NSHR source said the basic task of any of the health affairs directorates is to oversee the performance of medical staff working in hospitals and health centers to ensure the quality and standard of services they provide. He said the society expects regional supervisory authorities, especially health affairs directorates, to carry out their supervisory tasks properly to prevent such malpractices. He accused these supervisory authorities of being lax in their responsibilities, allowing the repetition of mistakes in hospitals. He said the society's investigations revealed supervisory health authorities rarely make surprise visits to hospital wards, emergency sections and other departments to assess the quality of services, especially those provided to patients. He said the timetable set to discuss the results of the investigation into the incident with the victim's family was too long, adding it should take no longer than a month, Okaz/Saudi Gazette also contacted Dr. Khaled Marghalani, Ministry of Health spokesman, for a comment on the case especially as the victim's family had asked the ministry to intervene, but there was no response.
