Mohammad Al-Kadoumi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette JAZAN — A Saudi man claimed his pregnant wife died after giving birth due to a medical error committed by the medical team at King Fahd Central Hospital in Jazan. Fahd Sufhi, a resident of Uhud Al-Masariha, said his wife was taken into the labor ward when she developed pains. «My wife was in good health when she went in. But they left her unattended for 12 hours after her the pain started. After 12 hours, they did a checkup and decided to have a cesarean delivery. The operation lasted for three hours. She gave birth and was fine except for some pain in the abdomen,» said Al-Sufhi. He said by midnight he received a phone call from his wife saying the nurses had injected her with something and she did not know why. «Moments after receiving the injection, my wife started having breathing difficulties and her heart rate quickened. There were no doctors and nurses around to tend to her, and the hallways were empty. They came to her rescue too late. Even though they tried to take her to the resuscitation chamber, she died before reaching it,» said Al-Sufhi. He said he did not know what caused his wife›s death. She was fine before the injection was given to her. «The hospital itself did not release a report mentioning any clear cause of death. They sometimes say her heart stopped, or her lungs malfunctioned and at other times they say they do not know the cause of death,” said Al-Sufhi. Ibrahim Hazazi, the brother of the deceased woman, said his sister used to be a trainee at the same ward a while ago and complained about the poor medical services at the hospital. «She used to tell us that the medical staff there was negligent and was treating the patients badly. I demand an independent committee to be formed to investigate my sister›s death incident, which I believe is caused by a medical error. My sister was in severe pain until her death. My mother was by her side all the time,» said Hazazi. Jazan Health Affairs spokesman Nabil Ghawi said the directorate has formed a committee to look into the complaints by the family.