Forensic expertise comes to the fore
sharjah — Forensic doctors in the UAE are now innovating new methods to deduce the cause of death and identify bodies, in the wake of the recent death of the 58-year-old Indian factory worker in Sharjah.
This was discussed at the first ever forum held for forensic physicians, conducted by the Ministry of Justice, at the InterContinental Festival City Dubai, on September 26. The forum, held for the experts to share their experiences in the field and discuss important scientific research and breakthroughs, represented a number of competent authorities.
Eight forensic doctors from the Abu Dhabi Police and six from the Dubai Police, in addition to doctors from the Ajman Police and other emirates, attended. In total, 25 forensic experts attended the event.
Dr. Fatima Muhammad Al Khumairi, head of Forensic Medicine Department at the Ministry of Justice, presided over the forum.
Cases and lectures discussed included rare instance in the UAE forensic medicine scene.
Five lectures were delivered by doctors and professionals in the field, and the meeting resulted in a consensus to hold regular such events for the forensic community in the UAE, so that they could improve each others’ knowledge and benefit from the exchange of experiences.
Important cases discussed
Dr. Imad Fawzi, First Forensic Specialist at the Ministry of Justice, spoke about the complex case concerning the accidental death of the 58-year-old factory worker in the Sharjah Industrial Zone. The man had been working on a machine when he died, and the factory report on his death stated that he died of natural causes, without any injury caused. However, his autopsy report showed the presence of a foreign object in his body, which later proved to be a piece of iron that had blown off from the machine parts and penetrated the worker’s heart, resulting in his death on the spot.
The revelation of such facts often directly impacts and changes the turn of events, said Dr. Fawzi, as in the factory worker’s case, he — or rather his family — would be eligible for compensation for his death caused by negligence. It would also serve to prevent the recurrence of such dangerous occurrences in a factory environment and accidental deaths, by leading to the timely fixing and maintenance of machines. Dr. Hazem Metwally Sharif, a Dubai Police forensic expert, spoke about cases involving drowning and how to identify such deaths.
Dr. Mohammad Hejazi Muhammad, a senior forensic consultant, spoke about the importance of the “tie-down in mortality” and the autopsy methods to reveal suicide or criminal deaths, discussing five cases involving such incidents.
Dr. Yunus Mohammed Al Balushi, a forensic consultant with the Dubai Police, revealed a new specialty for diagnosing cause of deaths by blood stain analysis, a new research method that has been applied in recent cases in Dubai.
Dr. Salim Said, forensic consultant at the Abu Dhabi Police, pointed out how to use forensic dentistry in identifying bodies, especially in events of crises and natural disasters or accidents, where the victims cannot be recognised easily.
The gathering also discussed several jurisdiction and scientfic issues and experiences in forensic medicine, and presented a number of new research and rare cases that proved to be of importance in the furthering knowledge in the field in the UAE. New methods of dealing with various cases were also discussed.
Dr. Al Khumairi said that global forensic studies and scientific research were also discussed.
amira@khaleejtimes.com