DAMMAM — The Ministry of Health has told all health institutions in the Kingdom that cases of postpartum hemorrhage (excessive bleeding after birth) is the responsibility of the assigned obstetricians and gynecologists, Al-Hayat reported. The average amount of blood loss in a vaginal delivery operation or Caesarian is 600 ml if it was one child and 1,000 ml if it were twins. The Ministry of Health reported in previous annual reports that postpartum hemorrhage is one of the most common medical failures in delivery operations. If not treated immediately, the patient might have to undergo a hysterectomy or die. If she loses too much blood, the patient may become anemic and, therefore, she must stay in hospital for several days until her condition becomes stable again. Al-Khobar hospital gynecology and obstetrics department head Dr. Salem Al-Jaman said the ministry's decision was issued due to the great number of complaints received about obstetricians leaving the operation room too quickly and neglecting their patients. He said: “The stress of work and back-to-back appointments oblige obstetricians to leave the operation room the moment the delivery is complete. “The moment the child is born, the mother goes into a postpartum period and postpartum hemorrhage is likely to occur an hour into the period. “If an obstetrician or gynecologist is not around to treat any occurring health problems such as postpartum hemorrhage, the patient might die.” Nuha Al-Muhana, a general hospital nurse, explained that postpartum hemorrhages are common but risky. “Yes, it is the responsibility of the obstetrician but it is just out of our hands. There is a team of doctors responsible for monitoring the health of the patient after delivery. “In general hospitals, the patient of a delivery will be passed on to the alternate physician who is responsible for monitoring her health. “Perhaps, the bigger number of postpartum hemorrhages is in private hospitals because the doctors there are under pressure and have too many patients to handle.”
