JEDDAH, 22 July 2006 — A private hospital in Jeddah refused to discharge two patients after receiving treatment because of unpaid amount of SR47,000, Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday.
Six Saudi citizens were on their way from one of the provinces to Jeddah when they were involved in a car accident that killed one and injured five people. Three of the patients were transferred to King Fahd Hospital while two patients were taken to the private hospital. Both patients suffered from broken bones and other injuries.
The families of the two patients came the next day to transfer their relatives to a government hospital because their condition cannot allow them to bear the expenses of the private hospital. The family was surprised when the hospital administration refused to discharge the two patients until the payment was made.
One of the relatives, Muhammad Al-Amri, wanted to negotiate with the hospital officials about the large amount and to release the two patients to go to King Fahd Hospital to continue their treatment.
Al-Amri said King Fahd hospital asked the private hospital to send a detailed report on their condition. “We begged the hospital officials to give us the report for six hours but they insisted that we would pay first. The more the patient’s stay in the hospital the more it would cost them,” said Al-Amri.
A source from the Health Ministry in Makkah, Dr. Yasser Al-Ghamdi, said that the hospital has no rights to hold patients. The hospital will be forced to transfer the patients to a government hospital. He said the ministry would investigate this case and the amount imposed on patients.
