JEDDAH: The brother of a 21-year-old Saudi man whose vision deteriorated due to alleged medical malpractice has said that his family has still not received an appointment from the legal committee that is investigating the case.
Jabir Al-Yami, the brother of Mohammad Al-Yami who lost his sight, said, “We only received a call following the publication of our story in Arab News. We were informed that they would study the case, but we’ve not been notified of anything yet.”
He said it has been almost two months since his family received that call.
Mohammad, who is currently studying in Chicago, had undergone Lasik surgery in Riyadh to correct his vision. The surgery, however, caused his vision to worsen. He is now only able to see with the use of special lenses that cannot be put on for more than eight hours continuously. The lenses also have to be changed every three months and cost over $1,000.
The Al-Yamis accuse Sulaiman Habib Medical Hospital in Riyadh of carrying out a SR11,000 surgery that should only be done on people above 20. Mohammad was 18 when he underwent the surgery in 2005.
Following the surgery, Mohammad visited a clinic in the US, which diagnosed him with corneal surface distortion that cannot be corrected by eyeglasses.
The Al-Yamis expressed their dissatisfaction at the delay in investigating their case and punishing those involved in “ruining” Mohammad’s life.
Mohammad is finding it difficult to continue his education and has previously said he might quit his studies in mechanical engineering. “I have found more support and sympathy from people in the US than I have received in the Kingdom. Our complaints are locked up in drawers and there is no one to punish the guilty,” he said.
“We are seeking the attention of the higher authorities, the responsible officials and those who care about our condition to take action and punish those involved,” said Jabir.
Meanwhile, a source at the legal committee told Arab News that the agency was investigating several complaints. “We received this family’s complaint 10 months ago. The authorization letter that the father needed to complain on behalf of his son was missing and so they needed to get that to proceed. Now their file is complete and it is in line for processing,” said the source.
