QATIF — The Dammam Maternity Hospital refused to admit an infant with a heart condition, which resulted in the child's death, Al-Yaum newspaper reported. The infant was transferred from Seihat Hospital, which is not equipped to deal with such cases. The infant's father said Seihat Hospital sent medical reports of the infant's condition to a private hospital in Al-Khobar and to Dammam Maternity Hospital. The private hospital asked for SR250,000 to treat the child. The father waited hours for his insurance company to cover the treatment costs. He tried to transfer the infant to Dammam Maternity, which he said refused to accept him. He claims Dammam Maternity refused to admit his son because no beds were available. The insurance approval came the next morning, but by then the child had died. The father blames the insurance company and Dammam Maternity for his son's death. Dammam Maternity Hospital's Director Saleh Al-Salook said the hospital did not refuse the case because of a shortage of beds. The hospital asked for a complete report on the infant's condition from Seihat Hospital, he added. The Eastern Province Health Directorate has formed a medical committee to investigate the case.
