Man claims negligence by hospitals killed son
2-YEAR-OLD KAREEM DIDN’T RECOVER FROM HIGH FEVER EVEN AFTER HOSPITALISATION AND DIED
AJordanian expat has accused two private hospitals in Al Ain of medical negligence over the death of his two-year-old son in October.
The case is being investigated by the Public Prosecution, a source at the Abu Dhabi Department of Health told Gulf News.
Ala’a Rawajbi, 32, an electrical engineer, said that his son Kareem had a high fever, and was admitted to a private hospital on October 8.
“He received antibiotics intravenously, but his condition did not improve. Four days later, I was advised to transfer him to a second private hospital for further treatment, but the transfer was not provided by the facility,” Rawajbi added.
“The second hospital then refused to admit him because of lack of insurance coverage, and insisted I pay Dh10,000 upfront. I was unable to do this, and spent valuable time trying to convince the hospital staff, then taking my son to a public hospital.”
Kareem was eventually admitted to a public hospital, but succumbed to the infection on the night of October 13. Both hospitals are long-standing institutions in Al Ain, and the facility that did not admit Kareem is one of the oldest.“I want the authorities to grant me my rights,” Rawajbi said.
An Al Ain resident has accused two private hospitals of negligence following the death of his twoyear-old son.
“The first hospital was unable to provide adequate treatment for my son, Kareem, but they admitted him for four days, which worsened his condition. On the hospital’s recommendation, I then tried to admit Kareem at a second facility, but this facility refused to admit him because his insurance plan did not include the hospital,” Alaa Rawajbi, 32, an engineer from Jordan, told Gulf News yesterday.
Following the incident, Rawajbi has approached the Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DoH), the emirate’s health sector regulator, which is now investigating the case.
Monitoring and treatment
According to Rawajbi, his son had a high fever on October 8 and was admitted to a private hospital for monitoring and treatment. He was given intravenous (IV) antibiotics and hospitalised for four days.
“My son did not respond to the treatment, and after four days, I was advised to take Kareem to another private hospital with better expertise and equipment. The doctors said they had already discussed the case with the second hospital, and that I should transfer him,” Rawajbi said.
The father said he paid
Dh500 for an initial consultation for his son at the second hospital, and was told there that his son was very unwell.
“I was told that he had a very severe bacterial infection and was septic and that he needed at least five more days of IV antibiotics to clear the infection. But Kareem was not admitted because his insurance plan did not include the hospital. So I approached the accounts department at the facility,”
Rawajbi said. There, Rawajbi was given the option of paying Dh10,000 upfront to have his son admitted.
“I only had Dh2,000 with me at the time, and I offered this as an initial payment, saying I would arrange for the rest. But the hospital still did not admit Kareem. By this time, it was already 7pm,” Rawajbi said.
Seeing his son’s worsening condition, Rawajbi then rushed him to a government hospital.
“The doctors there ran tests and informed us of the fatal diagnosis. The infection had already reached Kareem’s heart and the heart muscle was failing,” the father recalled.
‘Main concerns’
Kareem passed away after midnight on October 13, a few hours after he was refused admission at the second hospital.
“One of my main concerns is that there was no sense of urgency in treating my son. The first hospital discharged my son, but transport to the second facility was not arranged, even though he was so unwell. Similarly, we spent a lot of time just waiting to see a doctor at the public hospital,” Rawajbi said.
A source at DoH told Gulf News that the case is now under investigation by the Public Prosecution.