Medical errors on the rise

The Kingdom is looking to develop a system of accountability for medical errors in the wake of an alarming increase in the number of such cases across the country.
Many practitioners in the Kingdom get away with their mistakes simply because there is no mechanism in place for monitoring incidents of medical malpractice.
“Getting doctors to admit they have committed a medical error is the biggest challenge,” said Dr. Hasan Farah of Qatif’s Central Hospital in the Eastern Province, who is conducting studies on the issue.
Speaking to Arab News on Sunday, Farah said that accurate statistics on the number of medical errors occurring in the Kingdom and the region at large are unavailable due to the absence of monitoring.
“Admitting mistakes is an ethical necessity and may help prevent such mistakes from recurring in the future,” he said.
He also said that “it is not easy to judge errors occurring in the medical field due to their complexity.”
He said that medical errors in obstetrics and gynecology account for 27 percent of the total number of errors on record, the largest percentage in any specialty.
Surgical errors account for 17 percent of errors, while errors in internal medicine account for 13 percent of all cases and pediatrics 10 percent. The findings are based on a study conducted by Dr. Tawfiq Khoja on medical malpractice in the Kingdom.
“Systematic processes must be put in place for the identification and reporting of medical errors and for the implementation of a system of accountability, which will undoubtedly minimize the rate of medical mistakes,” said Farah.
Advanced nations such as the United States have a higher percentage of medical error, but have a more transparent system for gathering data, he said.
Jeddah leads in medical errors in the Kingdom, with 287 cases, followed by Riyadh with 280.
“A total of 1,356 cases were reported in the Kingdom last year,” said Majid Garoub, chairman of a legal committee on medical cases.
Around 722 cases were initially discovered, of which only 129 were confirmed, he said quoting Ministry of Health statistics.
He blamed a lack of expertise for the high rate of medical errors.
Garoub said that a medical and law forum would be held from May 20 to 22 to address this growing phenomenon in the Kingdom and to come up with mechanisms for counteracting these statistics.
Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah recently fired a Saudi physician and revoked his medical license after he was found to have committed a medical error.
The Ministry of Health has also opened a helpline for members of the public to report medical errors at www.moh.gov.sa or by faxing 0112124196.
The Legitimate Health Authority is an independent court tasked with probing cases of medical error. It is chaired by a judge appointed by the minister of justice. The authority has among its members a professor appointed by the minister of higher education and two other physicians appointed by the minister of health, in addition to a statutory adviser.