Chemotherapy victim to be sent abroad

Al-Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar expressed his concern at the grave medical error that caused a healthy child to undergo a highly hazardous cancer treatment at a hospital in Buraidah last week.
The victim of the near-fatal error, five-year old Rama Al-Mohaimed, is currently receiving treatment at home under the supervision of experts from King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh.
Acting director general of Health Affairs in Al-Qassim province Dr. Abdullah Al-Saigal said that Rama would soon be sent for further treatment abroad.
The error was attributed to a doctor who, reportedly confused Rama’s name with that of 15-year-old cancer patient Rami.
“What happened is a serious mistake and the perpetrators of such an error should be answerable; our country is not a place for conducting experiments,” said Prince Faisal during a meeting held to discuss the medical mistake at the prince’s office in Buraidah on Sunday.
Al-Saigal, Dr. Al-Amin Sabahi, medical director of the Maternity and Children’s Hospital; and Ahmed Al-Qeblan, director of Prince Faisal bin Bandar Cancer Center in Qassim; attended the meeting. The father of the victim, Abdullah Al- Mohaimed and Rama were also present at the meeting.
“I call this table around which we are meeting the table of interrogation, monitoring and accountability. It will be called so until we combat each and every shortcoming committed by government departments. The culprit and his victim will sit at this table until the person who committed the error is held accountable for his deed,” the prince said vowing action against any individual responsible for committing mistakes.
“This mistake cannot be pardoned,” the prince said, adding that periodic reports about Rama’s condition should be conducted and delivered to him.
Al-Saigal explained to the prince that the Committee for Medical Violations would examine the error and conduct an investigation.
The girl had been subjected to the treatment for cancer following a wrong diagnosis. The prince was also told that the Egyptian doctor responsible for the error had left the country.
Al-Mohaimed thanked the doctors for saving his daughter’s life by discontinuing the chemotherapy treatment before it was too late. He explained that his daughter was still in a state of trauma.