Dammam: A Saudi court has ordered an Egyptian doctor and a Malayali nurse to pay a total compensation of 300,000 Saudi riyals, equivalent to more than ₹66 lakh, in a medical negligence case that led to the death of a patient.
The verdict was issued in connection with the death of an Egyptian national who had been admitted to King Fahd Hospital in Hofuf after suffering severe physical pain. The Riyadh Appeals Court upheld the earlier ruling in the case.
According to the court, the doctor was held 80 percent responsible for the patient’s death, while the Malayali nurse was held 20 percent responsible. The nurse, who is a native of Mananthavady in Wayanad, has been ordered to pay 60,000 riyals, which is nearly ₹13 lakh, along with 1,000 riyals as court expenses. The doctor who prescribed the treatment has been directed to pay 240,000 riyals to the dependents of the deceased patient.
The incident occurred after the doctor recommended surgery for the patient and instructed the nurse to administer an antibiotic and a painkiller injection before the procedure. However, the doctor allegedly failed to check the patient’s previous medical history or allergy status before prescribing the medication.
The nursing staff also failed to carry out proper checks before administering the medicine. Although the patient’s allergy was recorded in the medical file, both the doctor and the nurse reportedly failed to notice it.
Soon after the injection was given, the patient developed a severe allergic reaction. His condition worsened rapidly, eventually leading to his death.
A medical committee consisting of three expert doctors informed the court that the case involved violations of Articles 26, 27, and 30 of the Health Professional Practice Law.
The judgment also stated that neither the Malayali nurse nor her legal representative appeared before the court during the trial proceedings. Even though the court had informed them about the hearing dates, no explanation acceptable to the court was submitted from their side.
