UAE: Woman sues hospital for Dh1.5 million after husband dies due to medical error

Abu Dhabi - Her husband was allegedly not given proper treatment because of poor diagnosis

An Abu Dhabi widow, whose 60-year-old husband allegedly died due to a medical error, has sued the hospital and the doctor who treated him for Dh1.5 million in compensation for the loss.

According to court documents, the woman filed a lawsuit at the Abu Dhabi Civil Court. She claimed that she and her children, all aged under 10, have suffered psychologically and financially because of her husband's death.

The woman said she was struggling to take of the kids, as her husband was the family's sole breadwinner.

In her lawsuit, she said that her husband was admitted to the emergency room while suffering from urinary retention, following the insertion of a urinary catheter the previous day.

The patient was first examined and then referred to the hospital’s oncology clinic after suspecting he suffered from cancer. A nuclear scan was done to determine the extent of the cancer's spread. The CT scan showed a tumour with a diameter of 14cm.

She added that her husband was then transferred to palliative chemotherapy after suffering from severe pain and later died due to a medical error.

The woman explained that the treatment her husband received was allegedly not in accordance with the generally accepted medical standards because the doctor, the second defendant, did not notice the tumour during the endoscopy. He also failed to describe it anywhere in his medical report.

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She said her husband was not given the appropriate treatment for his real condition due to poor diagnosis.

As a result, the treatment of the bladder tumour was delayed for seven months, which led to the cancer's spread and the deterioration of the patient's condition, causing his death.

The verdict will be issued at a future date.

• Abu Dhabi