By Sayyaf Al-Shahrani

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

BISHA — A dentist in the emergency room of King Abdullah Hospital in Bisha, Asir province, has been accused of causing the death of an aging Saudi woman.

Khaled Falah Al-Shahrani, the woman's son, claimed negligence on the part of the dentist had led to the death of his mother. He called on the authorities to form a committee to investigate the case.

Shahrani said the dentist on duty refused to treat his 79-year-old mother, who was suffering from severe pain due to an abscess in the gum.

"This has resulted in many complications, which culminated in the death of my mother 17 hours after the dentist refused to see her," he said.

Shahrani said the dentist refused to accept his mother or assign another doctor to see her on the pretext that she should visit a health center for treatment.

He said his mother initially went to a private clinic in Bisha but the doctor said she needed an urgent surgical intervention to remove the pus.

The Saudi said he took his mother to King Abdullah Hospital with the hope of getting better health care especially as his mother was quite old and suffering from certain diseases, including diabetes.

He said he was told that there was no doctor at the Dental Department, which was being renovated.

"I was told at the reception that the nearest appointment for my mother would only be after a month," he said.

Shahrani said he took his mother to the emergency ward where he was told that they would inform the dentist. However, the dentist refused to come to the emergency room saying his mother's case was not of an urgent nature and could be treated at a health center.

"The dentist did not only refuse to come to the hospital but he also refused to prescribe any medicines for my mother who was in severe pain," he added.

Shahrani asked why the dental clinic was closed without providing any alternative. He asked the hospital to investigate if his mother died of complications from the abscess or due to negligence.

Ali Al-Bikhaitan, spokesman for the department of health affairs, said the old woman came to the hospital in the morning suffering from severe pain in her right jaw and was given necessary treatment.

He said when she left the hospital all her vital organs were working perfectly.

"She came back early next morning but her vital organs were not working. She could not breathe and her pulse was extremely weak. She was resuscitated but she died shortly afterwards," he said.