TABUK — A Saudi citizen blamed the staff of King Khalid Hospital of Tabuk for his daughter's death. Maha, 19, who was suffering from hepatitis A, died because the doctors and nurses did not provide her with medical treatment immediately and instead put her in an isolated room, Abdullah Al-Huwaiti told Al-Hayat daily. The father had contracted the virus at the hospital earlier and the virus was transmitted to Maha and his two sons who were not vaccinated against the virus. Both his sons are currently receiving treatment at the Tabuk Military Hospital. Al-Huwaiti told Al-Hayat he took his sick daughter to King Fahd Hospital in the beginning of the month and the hospital referred her to King Khalid Hospital for better medical treatment. “My daughter stayed in the hospital until she passed away last Wednesday.” Al-Huwaiti had great difficulty in getting a room for his daughter as the hospital was full of patients. “Once Maha had been admitted, her condition started to deteriorate. We searched and searched for a doctor to come and see her but we did not find anyone around.” His son finally found a doctor who came and examined Maha. “The doctor just said she was fine and there was no need to worry about her. But my daughter looked really sick. “She remained in the hospital for a few days. One day, her condition got critical and the nurse hurried outside looking for the doctor in order to shift the patient into the intensive care unit. Again, the doctor was not to be found anywhere. Few hours later, Maha's condition got really critical and it looked like she was dying.” Al-Huwaiti and his son stormed outside the room and went to the administration but nobody responded to their pleas. “When we asked the hospital to transfer her to the ICU, they asked for her ID as a condition to admit her to the ICU.” Then the doctor ordered the nurse over the phone to give her medication after which her condition got even worse, the bereaved father said. Shortly afterward, Al-Huwaiti went to see the doctor who examined his daughter and was in charge of her case. When he got back to the room, he found his daughter motionless. He asked the doctor about the reason. “He told me Maha was sedated.” The following day, the anesthesiologist showed up in Maha's room and disclosed what the doctor had been hiding. Maha had gone into a coma. Shocked, Al-Huwaiti went to the doctor's office and demanded that the doctor give him the results of examinations and investigations for Maha but the doctor refused. He tried to have his daughter airlifted to a public hospital in Riyadh but she died shortly afterward. The doctors broke the news to him and apologized for their negligence that led to her death, Al-Huwaiti said. Al-Hayat contacted Tabuk Health Affairs spokesman Awdah Al-Atawee to inquire about the accusations the father leveled at the hospital, but he did not return the calls.
