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Doctor sacked for causing death of child

DUBAI — At least eight doctors in Dubai have been sacked due to medical negligence and malpractice since 2009, officials revealed while announcing the latest case in which the service of a government doctor was terminated for causing the death of a child.

Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid issued an administrative decision to sack the Arab woman doctor on the grounds of medical negligence and banned her from practising in the UAE following the results of the investigation by two committees, of which one was set up by the DHA.

“The action was taken against the doctor working in Al Wasl Hospital, after she was proven to be responsible for causing the death of an 11-year-old Emirati girl,” DHA said in a press statement on Thursday.

The case was registered in August 2009. The rheumatoid arthritis patient, identified as MAA, was taken to the hospital with complaints of vomiting and high fever.

Despite being in a critical condition, the patient was not admitted in the emergency room. The patient’s condition deteriorated and she died one day after she was admitted in the hospital.

Al Murooshid said the authority’s decision does not forfeit the right of the family members of the child from filing a separate case in the court and demanding compensation.

He said the committee formed by the Clinical Governance Office of the DHA’s Health Regulation Department is transparent in its findings and that the authority views cases of medical negligence stringently irrespective of whether the case is registered against a private or a public hospital.

The authority, he said, has taken action on several medical negligence cases in the last one year, from revoking licence of the physicians to more stringent action depending on the merits of the case.

Giving details to Khaleej Times, Head of Clinical Governance Office Dr Layla Mohamed Al Marzouqi said seven medical licences were permanently revoked last year. “We revoked three licences from the public sector and four from the private sector,” she said.

These included the licence of an Iraqi female doctor who is currently facing a court trial in the death of two young siblings after suffering from suspected food poisoning in June 2009.

The doctor, who now faces charges of negligence causing the death of Chelsea and Nathan D’Souza, had treated the children at NMC Specialty Hospital.

“The DHA had temporarily suspended the licence of another doctor as well in that particular case.
That doctor was reinstated later,”
Al Marzouqi said.

sajila@khaleejtimes.com

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