JEDDAH: The Court of Grievances here has obliged the Health Ministry to pay SR200,000 to a Saudi citizen whose baby was kidnapped from a hospital in the Eastern Province city of Qatif 16 years ago, the Arabic language newspaper Al-Watan reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper said the ruling was contained in the court’s final verdict on a lawsuit filed by the baby’s father, Muhammad bin Jaber Kahlani.
Kahlani said he had spent 12 years requesting the Health Ministry, the Interior Ministry and local officials to look for his son who was kidnapped from his mother the day he was born.
“All patients confined to the hospital are under its protection and responsibility, especially the kidnapped infant who is helpless and unable to defend himself and his mother who cannot leave the bed after delivery,” the court said.
It added that it is unreasonable to expect patients to ask for ID of people inside the hospital dressed as members of the staff.
“The mother willingly gave out the child to the woman because she was dressed like a nurse; otherwise she would never have abandoned her child,” the court said.
The newspaper said it was unable to get a response of the Health Ministry on the ruling despite repeated attempts.
Tracing the history of the case, Al-Watan said about four years ago the father took the case to the Court of Grievances, saying he had spent 12 years demanding justice for his pains and suffering.
The court said the fact that the infant was kidnapped from the hospital was enough proof of slackness in protecting the safety of the patients.
