An 18-year-old Saudi woman passed away last week in a maternity hospital here after an anesthesiologist increased the dose before performing a C-section on the woman. This is the third woman who died in this hospital in the last two months. Two Saudi women died last Ramadan due to medical errors. At the time, a committee was formed at the behest of Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health to investigate the cases. The recommendations have not been issued yet. The Saudi woman came to the hospital in labor and had to wait a few days until the medical team decided to perform C-section. According to preliminary investigations, the anesthesiologist gave the patient, who weighed less than 50 kg, an overdose. After the baby was taken out, doctors tried to resuscitate the patient but she had already passed away. Informed sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the medical team did not tell the patient's family about the medical error and the family buried the patient immediately thinking her death was natural. But one of the medical team members informed the family about the medical error. The committee formed by the Directorate of Health Affairs in Makkah region suspended the anesthesiologist and began investigations. The anesthesiologist denied he had given the patient an overdose; however, preliminary investigations indicate that an overdose was given to the patient. The hospital director denied that the patient died as a result of medical error. He said: “One is innocent until proven guilty.” The previous cases of two Saudi women who died at the hospital in Jeddah last Ramadan went through thorough investigations. A five-member committee investigated 16 doctors, nurses and technicians. One of the women died as a result of taking the wrong medicine while the other died following a septic shock. The hospital handed over the bodies to their families to bury them immediately without revealing the true causes of death. __
