year-old girl has refused to take charge of his daughter following a decision by doctors that she should leave the mental hospital to which she had been interned and continue to receive treatment as an outpatient. Maryam's father claims that his living conditions are not suitable for his daughter's care, saying that his house has no doors and that she could easily escape. He also said that he was concerned that the hospital would not readmit his daughter as he had no identification papers for her and had been waiting for Civil Affairs to resolve the issue since August last year. Maryam was reportedly a child enjoying perfect health until she was attacked by stray dogs while playing in front of her house. Now she is said to have irrational fears and has become aggressive and can be dangerous to other children. Her father said he had to chain her up to stop her running away. The father claims that hospital staff threatened to call the police if he did not take his daughter. He said that if he took her back he would be forced to chain her up again. “She can't depend on herself and can't live without other peoples' help,” he said. Saleh Ali Aal Thebah, Public Relations Director for Najran Health Affairs, said if Maryam's father did not take charge of his daughter they would call the relevant authorities to take action. An Interior Ministry official said that Maryam's father's identification papers were still with the Civil Affairs in Riyadh and had not yet been sent to their Najran office.
