Citizen seeks compensation as hospital declares him ‘dead’

MAKKAH — A citizen is demanding action against a hospital after it registered him among the dead, Al-Madinah Arabic daily reported on Wednesday. It all happened when Mohammad Jibreel, 41, took his Nigerian brother-in-law to the hospital on Sept. 21. “My brother-in-law came to the Kingdom to perform Haj. I gave the hospital receptionist the information about my brother-in-law as stated in his Haj permit. My brother-in-law stayed in the hospital for one day. When I visited the hospital the next day I was informed that he had died,” he said. When Jibreel started the necessary paperwork to claim the body, he was shocked to find that his own information was registered in place of that of his brother-in-law. “The hospital issued a death certificate for me and not my brother-in-law. The certificate was stamped by the director of the hospital. “I demanded to meet him but he refused to meet me after he found out the mistake,” said Jibreel. Jibreel spent six days visiting the police and the hospital to solve the problem. “I demand compensation for such an error. The burial of my brother-in-law was delayed because of the hospital’s mistake. I have lodged a complaint at the Health Affairs Directorate and they informed me that they will start an investigation into the incident,” said Jibreel. Ministry of Health spokesman Mishal Al-Rubaian said the ministry was notified of the incident and it will open an investigation. Legal consultant and lawyer Awadh Al-Harthy said what happened to Jibreel was an act of utter negligence. “The hospital committed a big mistake. They issued a death certificate for him when he is still alive. “They not only wronged the citizen but also his Nigerian brother-in-law,” said Al-Harthy. He added the hospital must be penalized for its negligence.