The General Health Affairs Directorate in the Eastern Province has decided to refer the case of the medical error in the treatment of journalist Mohammed Althubayti to the attorney general, while the physician who oversaw the health condition of the patient has been banned from traveling. In a press statement issued Thursday, the director general of the directorate, Khaled Al-Shaibani, confirmed the travel ban on the physician. Althubayti is still in the intensive care unit of King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Dammam, he said, noting that the investigation in the case has been completed by a neutral advisory committee, and the file was referred to the attorney general for necessary action.

Al-Shaibani said Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif has been kept up to date about the health status of Althubayti and he has ordered that the best medical care be provided to the patient.

The General Health Affairs Directorat launched an extensive investigation to determine what went wrong in the case of Althubayti, who went into a coma after undergoing a simple procedure two weeks ago to remove an abscess from his thigh. Sources hinted at the possibility of a medical error that ultimately led to the deterioration of his health condition in the hours after the procedure.

Salman, the patient’s brother, said Althubayti was put under general anesthesia after repeated attempts to administer a spinal anesthesia failed. He said his brother recovered well and the anesthesia tubes were removed, but after five minutes experienced breathing difficulty. Several attempts to reintroduce the tubes failed and he fell into coma, he said.