MADINAH — A fact-finding committee has been formed to investigate why a medical complex in Madinah discharged a 13-year-old boy on Tuesday because it did not have the required treatment for him. Director of Madinah Health Affairs Dr. Abdullah Al-Taifi formed the committee. The boy, currently recovering at Al-Ansar Hospital from encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), was reportedly carried on Tuesday outside the complex by cleaning workers and left on the street while his mother tried in vain to signal cars to stop and help her. The committee will investigate staff and doctors who were treating the patient. The complex did not even call an ambulance to transport the boy to another hospital, according to the patient's uncle, who added the teenager was kept in the complex for a long time without receiving any treatment. “When his case deteriorated, they gave him an IV for two hours and asked the mother to take him to Al-Ansar Hospital.” The committee visited the complex and discovered several health violations that it will investigate before deciding to issue any penalties. It also visited the patient at Al-Ansar Hospital and checked on his health. Al-Taifi said health institutions that violate health regulations and show poor practice when it comes to delivering healthcare services would be fined by Madinah Health Affairs. Supervisor of the National Society for Human Rights' Madinah branch, Sharaf Al-Qarafi, said if the investigation proved that the complex violated healthcare standards, it would also mean it breached the patient's right to proper healthcare services.
