QASSIM: The father of one of two students who reportedly died from swine flu last week has accused doctors who treated his son of gross negligence, a report said on Monday.
Al-Otaibi demanded an investigation into the death of 12-year-old Raed, who was treated at Rass general hospital in Qassim Province on Wednesday. “There is a glaring contradiction in the death report and the actual cause. It is not on any personal sentiments but to bring to account anyone who fails to do his duty to citizens in the country,” said Al-Otaibi.
He also claimed the hospital’s report stated the cause of death as a severe respiratory problem, not the H1N1 virus. He added he had found a surgery wound on the chest of his son’s body while he was washing it. Al-Otaibi claimed his son had never suffered from any disease in the past apart from tonsillitis when he was three-years-old and had generally been in the best of health. He also said last Monday that Raed was excited because he was participating in National Day celebrations at his school.
“He was all right when he went to bed on Tuesday night, but at Fajr he had a very high temperature and was very uneasy. I took him to the hospital,” he said. “Raed was examined by doctors of various specializations, one after the other. But I told them I strongly suspected him to have swine flu and do the necessary tests. But they did not listen to me.” Al-Otaibi said his son’s condition continued to worsen and soon he was unconscious. He was then transferred to intensive care before dying on Wednesday. He also said that while the report stated the cause of death as a severe breathing difficulty, the swab test taken shortly before his death tested positive for the H1N1 virus.”
“I believe that there was gross negligence on the part of doctors in his diagnosis. I believe they failed to give him the right treatment.” Thirty-nine people have died from swine flu in the Kingdom as of Saturday, while the World Health Organization said nearly 5,000 swine flu deaths had been recorded worldwide as of Oct. 18.
