I DO NOT know what plans acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih has to bring about effective changes that will ensure the development of healthcare in our country. However, I do know that once the fight against the coronavirus responsible for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is over, his ministry should take stern measures to reduce the number of medical errors that have increased tremendously over the past few years in both government and private hospitals. In order to help the minister open this file, I will tell him about a medical mistake that turned out to be a blessing in disguise despite the fact that it has caused terrifying and shocking moments. This mistake gave us hope that such mistakes will finally be to the good of the patients. All's well that ends well. This magnificent mistake happened at Jazan General Hospital, which has a record replete with fatal medical errors. It is the same hospital in which a blood tainted with HIV was given to the 12-year-old Riham. This time, however, the hospital's medical mistake is of a different nature, which is both annoying and pleasing. The hospital called the family of a patient confined to the ICU and informed them that he had died. Relatives and friends arrived at the hospital devastated over the death of their beloved one. However, they were in for a surprise. They found their relative not only very much alive, but also in good health. It was the man on the bed next him who had died. According to a local newspaper, the incident caused havoc and chaos in the hospital when the friends and relatives of the man who was mistakenly reported dead quarreled with hospital officials and doctors to the point of violence. The spokesman for Jazan's Health Affairs confirmed the mistake, but said the hospital management had sincerely apologized for it and vowed to punish the employee responsible for it. Despite its happy ending, the medical error remains to be a painful one for the families of both the alive and the dead patients. It is saddening for the family of the dead patient because they were not informed about his death and also to the family of the live patient because he was falsely reported dead. Such mistakes would not have happened if the hospital's management took time to ascertain the facts. The employee who was responsible for the error should be sternly punished; otherwise medical mistakes might go up from exchanging newborn babies to exchanging dead bodies. I would like to thank the Health Ministry because its employees continue to commit silly medical mistakes. The employees are also oblivious to the humanitarian nature of their jobs.
