Man claims medical error in pregnant wife’s death

Ibrahim Al-Makrami NAJRAN — A man has accused Najran General Hospital of neglect after his pregnant wife died shortly after undergoing a caesarian section birth. The hospital also stands accused of refusing to hand over her body. Yahya Al-Aizour said his 36-year-old wife went into labor at Najran General Hospital. “My wife was admitted to the hospital on April 12. She went into labor and had to undergo a Caesarian section. The baby was in good health and my wife was alive after the operation but the medical staff took her in after the delivery,” said Al-Aizour. According to Al-Aizour, after a few hours his wife began to bleed profusely and was admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. “I was waiting with bated breath as my wife seemed fine only a few hours earlier. The medical staff came out a few hours later and said to me they had to perform a ureterectomy on my wife and that she died during the operation,” said Al-Aizour. He added the medical staff told him they had to perform the ureterectomy to save her life but then said his wife died during the attempt. “It was hard enough to accept the news but then when I wanted to receive her body, the hospital refused. The hospital demands complicated the process for me. I reported the incident to the Ministry of Health. The ministry informed me that the report of the incident was forwarded to the Legal Health Commission,” said Al-Aizour. He said the ministry should have sent him a copy of the report and have an unbiased committee look into the circumstances that led to his wife’s death. Ministry of Health spokesman Mohammad Al-Suqoor said the ministry has banned the medical staff involved from traveling until the case is resolved and it has forwarded the report of the case to the pertinent authorities. “The ministry prioritizes the rights of the patients and their safety. We have forwarded the case of the pregnant patient who delivered her child but had profuse bleeding after the delivery. The patient was in critical condition and the medical staff had to perform a ureterectomy. The patient passed away the next morning after the operation,” said Al-Suqoor.