JEDDAH, 1 December 2005 — A doctor’s ignorance of, and indifference to, Ministry of Health regulations led to his refusing to help an African woman in labor because she had no iqama.
The woman is one of many who receive charity from various Saudi households known for their generosity; she was virtually on the doorstep of one such house when she went into labor.
“I immediately called the medical center in our district to send us a doctor,” said Mrs. Mayada who lives in the house with her husband and children. “By the time he arrived, the baby’s head was appearing and in the middle of all this, the doctor asked whether the woman had an iqama!”
Mrs. Mayada explained that the woman was actually giving birth with the baby’s head almost completely out by this time. “When the woman answered no, the doctor stepped away and left.”
She went on, “I was really shocked to see such a reaction from a doctor so I called the hospital and asked them to at least send a wheelchair and a nurse to help with the birth.”
In the end, with the umbilical cord still linking mother and child, Mrs. Mayada and her husband took the woman to the hospital where, after several doctors refused to help, they finally found one who cut the cord.
According to Mrs. Mayada, the only excuse that could explain the doctor forsaking the Hippocratic Oath was that he himself was a foreigner and was afraid of doing something illegal that might cost him his job.
An official source pointed out, “It is mandatory that all doctors and employees in the health department provide help to those in need whether they are Saudi or non-Saudi.”
He went on to say, “All doctors are obliged by the Ministry of Health to help Saudi or non-Saudi patients who are in a life-threatening situation.”
Dr. Ayman Linjawi, consultant in general and oncological surgery at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, said: “If the doctor was willing to help the woman, it would have been a good gesture from him which would fulfill his ethical and professional duties; however if he refused, we can not judge him because the woman had no iqama and he himself is a foreigner who might be at risk and was afraid of possible official repercussions.”
The majority of doctors seem to agree that they would help a women in labor regardless of her personal circumstances. “Even if she is a woman with AIDS, the doctor should help her in childbirth,” said Dr. Samir Kayasseh, a consultant in obstetrics and gynecology.
According to some doctors, there is no official reprimand given to a doctor by the Ministry of Health is if the doctor refuses to treat a patient.
