Khaled Al-Suleiman Okaz A young woman who sustained serious injuries in a road accident was admitted to the emergency room of a private hospital. She had to remain there for more than four hours waiting to undergo X-rays and scanning procedures for her broken back while hospital authorities insisted that her family come to the hospital and make a substantial payment toward her treatment. A surgeon at a government hospital who later treated the case said that there was a possibility that the woman would be permanently paralyzed due to the delay in treating her. As a result of the delay, the life of the young woman was put at risk due to a lack of humanity on the part of the private hospital and the Ministry of Health, which in turn failed to impose its mandatory directive on private hospitals to carry out the government's directive to receive emergency cases and provide them with treatment at the expense of the ministry. However, in my opinion, there is a third party that has to shoulder responsibility in this case, and that is the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA). SRCA ambulances deposit those injured in accidents at the entrances of emergency sections of hospitals without ensuring that they receive the necessary treatment. SRCA volunteers and doctors are supposed to hand over accident victims to doctors directly to ensure that urgent treatment is provided. They should not abandon victims in front of hospitals and if a hospital will not treat a patient, they should transfer the patient to another hospital. In short, the ministry should impose its directive on private hospitals or entrust the SRCA to shoulder the responsibility of transporting victims to hospitals and making sure that they receive proper treatment without any delay. Leaving victims of accidents stranded in the corridors of hospitals is just like leaving them at the scene of an accident.
