Once again there are worrying questions about medical standards in Saudi hospitals. The case of Fateema Al-Refaie, the Saudi asthma patient who went into a coma after allegedly being administered a banned antibiotic and subsequently certified brain dead brings the issue of medical malpractice back to center stage in the public’s mind.
Unfortunately it has been never far off. Stories of mistakes with tragic results appear too regularly in the press. The wrong blood type given in a transfusion, the wrong medication administered, bungled operations, anesthetic mistakes — the list is never ending and it makes the public nervous, especially when combined with an equally endless flow of stories about the other recurring problems in health-care industry — unpaid staff, the need for far more doctors, nurses and pharmacists and, worst of all, the scandal of quack doctors and paramedics in the system. Earlier this year the Saudi Health Administration revealed it had discovered 542 of its employees with fake certificates. It brought the total number of quacks found in the health-care sector to 7,216. It is comforting that they have been caught, but how did they manage to get there in the first place? How much damage have they done? And how many more are there? Between 1997 and 2000, a total of 218 people, mostly women, died as a result of medical mistakes.
Malpractice and quack doctors are not a uniquely Saudi problem. It is estimated that medical mistakes are among the top ten causes of deaths in the United States. Nonetheless, there is an undoubted problem of public confidence in the system. There are excellent medical facilities in the Kingdom but the fact remains that Saudis and expatriates alike prefer to go abroad if they can for medical treatment. The tragic story of Fateema Al-Refaie is not going to improve matters.
The authorities are aware of the problem. Two years ago, medical malpractice insurance was made mandatory. But that is hardly going to address the public’s worries. It is merely an admission that there is a problem.
Eleven months ago, a conference in Riyadh, entitled the International Summit for Patient Safety and Medical Errors, called for the establishment of national center to regulate standards on patient safety and to which cases of malpractice would be reported for investigation. It is what happens elsewhere but it has not happened here yet. It is overdue. The Saudi Health Administration and private hospitals also have to be far more rigorous in checking the qualifications and backgrounds of those they employ. Equally, it should be obvious that overworked, underpaid, even unpaid staff are not going to perform well.
It all comes down to money; but good health care does not come cheap. Until the extra investment and commitment are made and public concerns are addressed, people will continue to go abroad for medical care if they can, no matter how good the facilities are.
