DAMMAM — A Saudi whose mother died last week after spending 17 days at a private hospital in Ras Tanura has accused the paramedics of the Saudi Red Crescent (SRC) of causing her death. Omar Abdullah Al-Ghamdi said the paramedics delayed giving her oxygen and as a result all her vital organs stopped functioning. He held the SRC responsible for the death of his 50-year-old mother Nawal Al-Ghamdi, and called for an investigation. Al-Ghamdi said family members saw his mother lying unconscious on the floor on May 28. “We called the SRC in Ras Tanura. The SRC called us back to ask about her condition and what was she suffering from. When the paramedics finally arrived, they were confused and did not know what to do or how to resuscitate her,” he said. Al-Ghamdi said he later came to know that one of the two paramedics was a new recruit and the other was the ambulance driver. A third paramedic at the center, who was experienced, was busy attending a training session in Al-Khobar. “The two paramedics searched frantically for the oxygen cylinder but could not find it. Fifteen minutes later they decided to take her to hospital. They put her in the ambulance and one of them tried to resuscitate her heart manually,” he said. On arrival at the Aramco hospital, the doctor told Al-Ghamdi that there was no pulse in his mother's heart but after resuscitation, it began to beat but his mother entered into a complete coma from which she never woke up. “The paramedics of the SRC were late in taking the necessary rescue measures. As a result, oxygen did not reach her brain for a long time. This caused damage to her brain cells, lungs and kidneys. My mother remained in a complete coma until she died,” he said. Al-Ghamdi asked the concerned authorities to investigate the case and said his mother died of gross negligence by the SRC.
