DAMMAM — Medical errors during delivery top the list of medical mistakes in Saudi hospitals, according to a legal consultant at the Shariah Health Commission in Riyadh. Majed Al-Harbi said delivery room errors constituted 70 percent of all medical mistakes in the Kingdom, Makkah daily reported.
Al-Harbi said the data was compiled from information obtained from eight forensic health committees in Riyadh that looked into medical error cases committed by private, military and government hospitals. “The cases varied between the death of the mother during delivery, shortage of oxygen supply to newborn baby leading to a permanent disability and other medical errors,” Al-Harbi said. “Private hospitals accounted for the highest percentage of medical errors according to the cases received by the commission during the last seven years. Some of these hospitals are classified as five-star hospitals in Riyadh.” The errors at government hospitals are less compared to private hospitals despite their limited potentials and volume of patients, he said, adding that licenses of 15 doctors to practice the profession have been withdrawn and several hospitals have been closed down during the period. Al-Harbi said they have not received any cases of forgery or falsification in the medical files of patients who have been the victims of medical errors with the intention of absolving responsibility. "When the committees receive a complaint, they look into the medical file meticulously," Al-Harbi said, stressing that medical error cases cannot be dropped with the passage of time. "The moment the patient feels complications and has doubts it could be due to a medical error, he can submit a complaint," he said, citing the example of a medical error during surgery of a patient 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Saudi Obstetrics and Gynecology Society Dr. Hassan Saleh supported what was mentioned by lawyer Al-Harbi that medical errors during delivery form the highest number compared to other medical errors. He attributed this to several reasons, including numerous emergency cases, critical cases during delivery, insufficient supply of blood and medicines, and a lack of facilities especially in hospitals in small cities. Saleh said the prime cause of death during delivery is excessive bleeding, followed by child-bed fever and pregnancy poisoning. He said several women died during their transportation from one city to another due to unavailability of hospitals with the required facilities. Saleh confirmed that the Saudi Obstetrics and Gynecology Society in cooperation with the Ministry of Health will prepare documents to study the reasons for the death of Saudi women during delivery. "Work in this will begin within four months," he added.
