JEDDAH: The medical affairs department investigating the case of a man who had been in a coma for two months following a medical mistake is set to issue its verdict on Monday.
The department is to give the verdict after investigations showed it was a case of sheer medical negligence. Hassan Al-Harithy, 47, a father of five, slipped into a coma after undergoing surgery on an ankle he twisted while playing football. Despite telling a doctor that he had high blood pressure and a blockage in an artery, he was assured that the surgery was too minor to affect him.
“It is sad to say, but had this happened in the West, things would have been different,” said Hassan’s sister, Wafa Al-Harithy, expressing her disappointment at the delay in deciding the case. Speaking about her brother, who has since come out of the coma, she said, “He turned into skin and bones after losing so much weight. Thank God, he is now awake and can identify most of us,” she said.
“He cannot speak or go to the toilet. He is fed through a tube. Sometimes he is happy and sometimes sad. He still has problems expressing himself,” Wafa said.
In order to raise awareness about her brother’s plight, Wafa launched a media campaign which also included the setting up of a website and a Facebook group that now has over 2,000 members. The campaign prompted the authorities to examine the case and come to the conclusion that Hassan was a victim of medical malpractice.”
Wafa added that she has sent urgent memos to the higher authorities explaining her brother’s condition and calling for a speedy judgment.
“I am desperate, but I will never give up. I will knock on all doors and as long as I have the power to speak and write I will continue to do so,” she added.
On Aug. 21, Arab News ran a report that said the legal committee had deferred probe into the case due to summer vacation.
