JEDDAH, 13 November — A surgeon at a leading Jeddah hospital has admitted to Arab News that a medical error resulted in the death of an adolescent boy. Ghalib Al-Shareef, 14, who agreed to donate blood and bone marrow to try and save the life of his brother diagnosed nine months previously with leukemia, died after tubes were attached to the wrong arteries.
The mistake was discovered only after it was too late and led to an excessive loss of blood. The boy died immediately, the surgeon of 22 years said.
Relatives of the dead boy have lodged a complaint with both the Makkah governorate and the Ministry of Health. "The boy was perfectly healthy when he agreed to donate bone marrow to his brother. Riyadh Governor Prince Salman agreed to meet the cost of the treatment," they said.
However, the boy complained of chest pains shortly before surgery, according to the relatives. They say the accused doctor rashly pulled out the tubes, causing blood to gush out and the walls of the operation theater were soon splashed with it.
The doctor at the center of the controversy said he respects the right of the relatives of the dead boy to take legal action against him. The relatives want him charged and have refused to settle the matter through mediation.
Dr. Talal Ikram, assistant director general of health affairs in Jeddah, has announced that the case will be examined by a medical ethics committee. If it is established that the doctor was indeed responsible, compensation will be awarded to the family.
This doctor will not be allowed to travel abroad before the committee has made public its findings, the official said.
