A senior official from the Ministry of Health (MoH) clarified Thursday that doctors at the Dammam Central Hospital had extended extensive medical services for the treatment of 26-year-old Majid Al-Dossary, who died at the hospital on Tuesday.
Officials told Arab News that the doctors had tried their best to save Al-Dossary, who suffered from acute oxygen deficiency in his blood stream and who did not respond to medication. He was admitted to Dammam Central Hospital in the Eastern Province with pneumonia on Friday.
“Following a royal decree, we brought in a special medical team from the United States to treat Al-Dossary and his sister Rana, who was also suffering from the same problem,” he said, recalling that it submitted its report on the 21st of Ramadan.
The team reported that Majid had to reduce his weight by 80 kg and that Rana would have to be transferred to New York for further treatment. Rana is also suffering from morbid obesity, weighing around 280 kg.
“We even booked the Cleveland Hospital in the United States, but unfortunately, the condition of both patients was so dire due to their obesity that air travel was prohibited,” the official said.
“Subsequently, authorities proposed that specialists treat the patients at the National Guard Hospital, but the family of the patients refused to treat them locally,” he added.
A relative said that Rana had been informed about her brother’s death five hours later and that doctors took medical precautions to ensure that the tragic news did not affect her heart.
The official stressed that there was no delay in the execution of the royal order by the ministry and that it had given the best health care possible to both patients.
“The critical health condition of the patients prevented them from traveling abroad for medical treatment,” he said.
Bloggers and social media sites paid tribute to Al-Dosary for his courage, but also criticized the Health Ministry for reportedly not providing the international care his case required as ordered by the king.
MoH explains obese patient’s death
