A simple social visit to a patient at King Faisal Specialist Hospital ended up in an altercation between the patient and his relatives as some of them had a bone to pick with the patient over some unresolved issues. The argument ended in fisticuffs that mercifully left no one injured, though first aid and treatment was on hand. Security personnel had to be called in to bring about peace after the fight had laid waste some medical equipment. As the argument heated up, patients in the nearby beds ran for their lives, Shams Arabic daily reported on Monday. The fight developed as relatives chose sides and it soon became a veritable free-for-all and equipment and the patient’s room was trashed. The melee continued for some time and a large number of bystanders gathered to watch the unruly incident that was settled only when police arrived. There were no reports of any arrests, but the simmering discontent only disappeared after the relatives left. Saeed Al-Zahrani, spokesman for the Taif Health Department, confirmed that no hospital staff was involved in the fighting.
