Hospital Accountability under Scrutiny after Man Dies of Alleged Malpractice
He was given two drugs that are said to have reacted negatively with one another
Published: 17:47 June 2, 2015
By Fahad Al Mukrashi, Correspondent
Muscat: Harith Al Ameri, a national in his thirties who worked as a manager for a telecom provider in Oman, died on Saturday due to alleged medical malpractice at a private hospital in Muscat.
Al Ameri had undergone recent heart surgery at a government hospital. A week ago he developed a fever and went to a private hospital where he was administered Warfarin, a drug that prevents blood clots.
He was then given an antibiotic that reacted negatively with the Warfarin, which allegedly killed him.
The family, speaking to Gulf News, said they plan to seek harsh penalties for the hospital if it is found responsible for his death.
“It was really a shock for us when we found out Harith had died,” said Mohammad Al Mehri, one of Harith’s close friends.
His friends have launched a hashtag on Twitter in Arabic, which translates to “a medical error led to the death of Harith Al Ameri”.
Al Mehri suggested heftier penalties for hospitals, both private and public, for medical errors, which result in many deaths a year.
Oman recently imposed an annual practising fee of between 40 rials (Dh381) and 60 rials (Dh572) for doctors and specialists that would go to a compensation fund for patients who suffer from malpractice.
The Ministry of Health recorded ten cases of alleged malpractice in 2014, most of which are currently under investigation.
An investigation into Al Ameri’s death is under way, according to the Ministry of Health.
On Monday, the Muscat Appeals Court issued a verdict against a private hospital for a malpractice case that left a child permanently disabled.
The court fined the hospital 350,000 rials to compensate the child’s family.
Khalif Al Hinai, a leading lawyer in Muscat, said that such a verdict would help to curb cases of malpractice as it would increase accountability in hospitals.