IT has been recently reported that the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) caused a disabled citizen in Tabuk to go into cardiac arrest when the company cut power to his house, causing the respiratory device he relied on to stop working. The man was rushed to the nearest hospital and he remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit. The disabled man's brother was quoted as saying: “My brother relies on a respiratory system that is hooked to the electricity around-the-clock. The power went out suddenly for technical reasons as we were told. My brother's heart stopped and paramedics rushed him to the hospital. His condition is still critical.” The brother went on to say that the SEC cut power to his brother's house on several occasions even though it has been notified of his situation more than once. “I had to buy a power supply that runs on a car battery. There is no reason for the company to cut the power as I pay the bill on time every month,” he said angrily while adding that he wants the SEC to hold the technicians responsible for the power cut that sent his brother to the ICU. It is a sad thing that the power company has shown such negligence about the rights of subscribers. Such actions prove that it takes human lives lightly and does not seem to care about the damage caused by frequent power outages. Subscribers do not know where to go to complain and what to do to make the company change this policy. Some citizens who suffered because of power outages went to court and filed a lawsuit against the company. The result: The case has been dragging on for years with no immediate solution in sight. Just recently, a woman who brought a lawsuit against the company three years ago died before the court issued a ruling. In a nutshell, the company is responsible for the deteriorating health condition of the disabled man. The company's actions may amount to criminally negligent manslaughter should the man die. Who is going hold the SEC accountable for its actions?
