The medical authorities here will be asking Interpol to find an Arab doctor who fled the country after allegedly botching stomach bypass operations on four women over a five-year period, causing their deaths. The doctor left the country after his alleged latest mistake, which was on a woman in her twenties. He left the woman in the care of a specialist. Five years ago he had his license canceled because of the death of a patient but continued to practice. During this time he operated on four women who died. He may now face additional charges related to these incidents. It is learnt that the Shariah Medical Commission in Jeddah plans to raise the issue with the Ministry of Health to have Interpol bring the doctor back to face charges. Okaz is withholding the name of the doctor. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Ijairi, Chairman of the Shariah Medical Commission in Jeddah, who is also a judge at the General Court, confirmed that an Arab doctor working as Head of the Department of Surgery at a city hospital, performed a stomach bypass operation on the woman in her twenties. The woman afterwards suffered from complications which led to her death. Al-Ijairi said the doctor had packed up his belongings and left the hospital. It was later found that he went to the airport and left the country. It was also then discovered that he did not have a license to practice medicine in the Kingdom. Al-Ijairi added that the doctor left the patient to her fate and did not assign any surgeon to care for her. He had left some specialists to see to her. Al-Ijairi said the woman's father wants the doctor beheaded. The father said that even if an investigation shows that the doctor had committed an error, this was also a crime under Article 9 of the ministry's law. This stipulates six months imprisonment, payment of blood money and cancellation of his license. Al-Ijairi said he wants to find out how the doctor managed to leave the country and if anyone helped him to do so. He also wants to know how the hospital continued to employ the doctor when it was notified that his license was canceled. Al-Ijairi said the doctor's license was withdrawn five years ago and he was ordered to pay SR100,000 blood money for the death of a patient. The doctor appealed the verdict at the Board of Grievances, but was ordered to pay. The decision on the cancellation of his license was also upheld. Al-Ijairi said the doctor made the same mistake in an operation on a woman last year. He was fined SR60,000 for the public right and the case was settled amicably. The family of the deceased accepted the blood money. Al-Ijairi said the doctor made another mistake at the beginning of this year when he operated on a girl suffering from extreme obesity. After the operation the girl developed complications that led to her death. In this case the Shariah Medical Commission held six sessions of deliberations, but the doctor attended only the first session. The commission passed a verdict canceling his license and fined him. The private right was dropped because the plaintiff did not attend the sessions. “He also committed two other mistakes that led to patients dying, but the victims' families did not file lawsuits against him,” said Al
