her left eye which persisted for three days. When she could not bear the pain anymore, she went to an ophthalmologist who told her she had several problems and referred her to a large private hospital. Ahmad says doctors recommended a battery of tests and hospitalization, something that would have cost a small fortune. She decided to get a third opinion and went to a well-known ophthalmologist. “He examined my eye and prescribed medication. My eye was fine a few days later,” said Ahmad. Dr. Abu Bakr Baqadir, professor of sociology at King Abdulaziz University, attributed the fear people have of hospitals to the increasing number of medical errors. He called upon the Ministry of Health to double-check the credentials of doctors and impose stricter penalties on the erring ones. “Doctors who commit medical errors should be barred from practicing. Unfortunately, no stricter penalties have been taken against erring doctors and no substantial compensation has been given to patients who suffer because of medical errors,” he said. __
