The brother of a Saudi national who died of suspected dengue fever here on Friday has filed a complaint with the governorate, Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Health Affairs in Makkah Region against Noor Hospital. Sami Ahmad Qassim, brother of the 40-year-old Hashim Qassim, has accused Noor Hospital of negligence and not being clear in disclosing the causes of death. The hospital identified acute liver failure, blood coagulation in veins, liver inflammation and liver dysfunction as the causes of death. The brother insists that it was the case of dengue fever citing several such cases in their Ree' Bakhsh District. Sami added that his brother remained in the emergency room for 15 hours without any follow-up and was moved to the Intensive Care Unit only after his death. Faig Hussein, spokesperson of the Directorate of Health Affairs in Makkah, said Hashim's name did not figure in the preventive medicine registers as afflicted with epidemic diseases. The directorate, he said, would issue a clarification statement in this regard. Dr. Khalid Dhafar, Director of Health Affairs in Makkah Region, did not respond to telephone calls by this reporter. Meanwhile, Samir Al-Ziyadi, Director of Environmental Health, said that they have prepared a plan in collaboration with a number of other agencies to fill the swamps and places where there are many dengue fever cases. He said their main focus is on slaughterhouses and veterinary doctors.
