Families accuse Sharjah hospital of negligence

Medics face probes into deaths of five patients this year.

SHARJAH // The families of five patients who died this year at Al Qassimi hospital have filed cases with the medical authorities claiming negligence.

"In all cases the patient died but it's the work of higher medical authorities or the courts to say there was a medical error committed or not," said Dr Arif Al Noryani, the hospital's chief executive.

The five cases - involving the maternity, cardiology and paediatrics departments - are being investigated by the Higher Medical Responsibility Committee.

Dr Al Noryani said the Ministry of Health followed up on every case filed with the committee.

If medical staff were found guilty of a medical error, they would face appropriate punishments, he added, which could involve the criminal courts.

"The punishment could be as harsh as a jail term," he said. "One of the staff nurses was recently sentenced to six months in prison for medical negligence."

Dr Al Noryani was speaking at a legal workshop for 75 hospital staff, held in conjunction with Sharjah courts and the Ministry of Justice to create a better understanding of the law.

Mohammed Saeed Al Muhairi, a senior legal adviser with the ministry, discussed the legal responsibilities and rights of medical practitioners.

"There is always a need to nurture a culture of law among medical personnel and create awareness about the main medical errors," he said.

The session was informative and all the staff benefited, said Sheikh Mohammed bin Saqr Al Qassimi, the assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Health and director of Sharjah Health Zone. "We shall have more similar workshops here and in other hospitals to create legal awareness among doctors, as this is very important."