MADINAH, 21 November 2006 — Obaid Al-Jihani took his one-year-old daughter, Dana, to a hospital for treatment for a cough but did not think that due to a mishap she would fall into a coma.
Al-Jihani told Al-Madinah newspaper how a simple visit to the doctor became nightmarish. He said that he took his young daughter to a hospital in Madinah where a doctor prescribed an injection. He then went into another room to get the injection and that was when the mishap took place.
“When I entered the room there were many other patients, therefore the nurse took the prescription from me and asked me to wait outside. She placed the prescription on a table that had a number of other prescriptions. Then she took my daughter and gave her an injection. When I took the prescription to ensure that she had picked up the right paper I was shocked to see that the name on the slip was Abdul Raheem and not Dana,” said Al-Jihani.
He explained that Dana experienced general fatigue and then fell into a coma. “A number of doctors came and said that Dana’s case was critical. She has now been moved to the intensive care. A day later she awoke, yet she has to stay for eight days under supervision,” he said.
Al-Jihani lodged a complaint against the doctor and nurse for carelessness. The general manager of the hospital, Khaled Sidi, said that they will examine the case and that a report would be written about it.
“We can make mistakes any time, we are human. What is important is how to prevent them in the future,” said Sidi.
