JEDDAH, 10 July 2004 — The Department of Health Affairs in the Makkah Region has ordered a doctor and his two assistants named and shamed for the part they played in the death of Huda Baghaffar. Dr. Zuhair Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and his assistants, Ahmad Othman Al-Kasiri and Muhammad Ali Kariri, will also be transferred and have their salaries cut.
Huda Baghaffer had suffered a heart attack on the beach and relatives found no medical staff at the North Obhur clinic where the three worked.
In a complaint filed with the Ministry of Health, the victim’s sister, Hind Baghaffar, describes what happened.
“We were all at the beach when my sister fell unconscious, which we later discovered was a result of a heart attack. We rushed her to the nearest medical facility, which was the North Obhur clinic. When we arrived, there weren’t any doctors or nurses in the emergency room except for three Bangladeshi workers who refused to let us in,” she said.
“They said the nurses had left ten minutes earlier and that the doctor was at the supermarket.
“I started screaming and begging for someone to help save my sister’s life. A Saudi security guard heard my screams and came to help. He let us into the emergency room and tried to contact the doctor several times but wasn’t able to reach him. He then asked me if I knew how to administer oxygen. I told him that I did, but when we started, we couldn’t find the facemask.
“It was clear that my sister was dying and we weren’t receiving any help at this clinic, so we drove to Al-Salam Hospital in Jeddah, but they couldn’t save her,” she added.
In her complaint, Hind Baghaffar described how the North Obhur area of Jeddah has almost grown into a city in its own right and requires proper medical staff and facilities to properly serve the public.
In the emotionally charged letter, Baghaffar wrote: “There are thousands of cabins, homes, palaces, and recreational resorts in the North Obhur area. Thousands of people flock there every weekend. Many of them have accidents and medical emergencies.
“The facilities in North Obhur as they are now, are pitiful and sub-standard. Where are the billions of riyals that are given to the Ministry of Health? It’s my right as a citizen to know. My sister lay there and died in my arms as a result of incompetence,” she wrote.
The director of health affairs in the Makkah region, Dr. Adnan Al-Bar, in addition to the action taken against the medical staff involved, has ordered a fully equipped ambulance and three drivers transferred to North Obhur to provide 24-hour emergency response. Dr. Al-Bar has also ordered the North Obhur clinic to be equipped with everything it needs to provide prompt, professional, and immediate health care.
“You are charged with saving the lives of citizens. I realize that nothing you do will not bring my sister back, but you can prevent this from happening to someone else,” Baghaffar concluded her letter to the minister.
