JEDDAH, 20 February 2004 — A police lieutenant is in a coma at Erfan Hospital in Jeddah after undergoing a routine operation at Al-Maghrabi Hospital. Lt. Saad Saeed Al-Adwani, 29, was admitted to Al-Maghrabi hospital 12 days ago for an adenoidectomy — a relatively simple procedure — but has not woken since. According to a medical report obtained by Arab News from the Al-Adwani family, doctors at Al-Maghrabi Hospital made a mistake that caused his heart to stop.
“Saad was in excellent condition when he walked into Al-Maghrabi. The procedure was supposed to be simple and we expected him home with his wife and two children within a couple of days. But because Dr. Ahmed Handoosa administered too much anesthesia, Saad is now in a coma”, Saqr Saeed Al-Adwani, the victim’s brother, told Arab News.
Khaled Badri, a clinical supervisor at Al-Maghrabi hospital, told Arab News: “I have no information to give you. All I can say is that Dr. Ahmed Handoosa is currently on vacation or attending a medical seminar somewhere. He won’t be available for at least two weeks.”
According to the Arabic daily Okaz, however, Dr. Akef Maghrabi, owner of Al-Maghrabi Hospital, has put Dr. Handoosa and the anesthesiologist on mandatory leave, and that their passports have been confiscated to prevent their leaving the country. Dr. Maghrabi has also undertaken the cost of all medical care associated with Al-Adwani whether in Saudi Arabia or abroad.
Al-Adwani was transported immediately after the operation to Erfan Hospital since there are no respirators at Al-Maghrabi Hospital. However, the family are not happy with the care he is receiving at Erfan.
The victim’s brother said: “We want to move him because the doctors at Erfan have given up. They are telling us that there is no hope for him. One doctor saw us reading the Qur’an together and said we shouldn’t bother because it was hopeless. They say he is brain-dead, and don’t think it is worth even trying, but we have all seen his legs and arms move. In fact, Okaz newspaper reported that he died. When we asked Okaz why they printed that, they said they got the information from a doctor at Erfan.”
Saeed Yehya Al-Adwani, the victim’s father, said: “We have in our possession one letter from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and two letters from Prince Muhammad ibn Naif, ordering my son’s transport to King Faisal Specialist Hospital, but to date he has not been moved. The life of my son, the father of my grandchildren, is in their hands, and they are doing nothing.”
A doctor at KFSH said the hospital was aware of the case but were unable to transport him because no beds are available.
According to a British doctor, an adenoidectomy is a relatively simple, safe procedure usually free of complications. General anesthetic is usually administered and the patient is on his or her way home within a day.
