Sources have said that a report into an accountant at Al-Amal Mental Health Hospital accused of “madness” shows “no conclusive evidence of insanity”. The report from Al-Amal was ordered after investigations were opened in the light of the accountant's claims that he was fired not because of his state of mental health but instead because he had uncovered financial irregularities at the hospital. Health Affairs in Jeddah received the report, which covered the work history and performance of the accountant, on Sunday, and the sources said it would now be passed on to the Medical Health Commission to complete the investigation. The report revealed, however, that the accountant had had injections commonly used in the treatment of a variety of mental conditions, but the sources added that the act “in no way condemned him as insane”, noting that the injections had only been used once and were administered by a psychiatric consultant to address “family problems” the accountant was experiencing. Last month the director of Al-Amal Hospital was asked to provide detailed reasons for suspending the accountant and reporting him to Al-Salama Police saying that he was “having fits of madness”. The accountant countered the allegations saying that the accusations of insanity had come from “influential people” at the hospital and that he was declared unstable after refusing to sign financial transactions that violated hospital regulations. He has since threatened to sue the hospital for “psychological torture” and loss of earnings. Al-Amal had already been in the public eye for continued attempts by drug addict patients to escape the facility and subsequent allegations of maltreatment and poor services. The Minister of Health continues, meanwhile, to investigate complaints from health and safety management staff at Al-Amal over unequal treatment. Staff who took their complaint to the Minister of Health said that appointments had not been made based on qualifications or experience and complained of “employees reaching positions through “wasta” – private connections – and “tribal affiliations”.
