A father has accused two doctors of failing to diagnose his eight-year-old son with a serious case of leishmaniasis – a skin infection caused by parasites released by the bites of sand flies. Faiz Al-Qahtani, the father of the boy Faris, said that when the infection appeared, he went to a dermatology clinic at a private hospital in Khamis Mushayt. He said a dermatologist examined his son and took samples for analysis. He said the laboratory tests were negative so the doctor diagnosed his case as a simple infection of the nose. Medicine was prescribed including ointment and antibiotics. He claimed that his son did not show any sign of improvement. Instead his condition deteriorated. This resulted in Al-Qahtani taking his son back to the clinic where he was examined by another dermatologist. He claimed that the dermatologist's diagnosis was identical to that of the first dermatologist, who said the boy was suffering from a simple infection on his nose. The doctor prescribed him capsules for one month. However, Al-Qahtani said his son developed an allergy to the capsules. He claimed that the scar on his son's nose developed into a wound, causing significant damage to his face. He then went to see a dermatologist at the Khamis Mushayt Public Hospital, who immediately ordered him to stop all medicines prescribed previously. He said the new dermatologist also took a sample from his son's nose and sent it to a laboratory. The laboratory results showed that the boy was suffering from leishmaniasis. He was prescribed a topical ointment and antibiotic injections. Al-Qahtani has lodged a complaint against the two doctors at the private hospital with the General Directorate of Health Affairs in Khamis Mushayt. He said the alleged misdiagnosis had affected his son psychologically. Dr. Abdullah Al-Wadie, Director of the Health Affairs department in Khamis Mushayt said that Al-Qahtani's compliant was referred to the Licenses Department. A committee will be formed to investigate the matter.
