UAE | Health
DHA official blames NMC Hospital for food poisoning deaths
The head of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Thursday said investigation into the food poisoning deaths of two children revealed that a private hospital had been negligent.
- By Mohammed Al Khan and Mayada Al Askari, Staff Reporters
- Published: 23:19 June 25, 2009
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
- Nathan (right), Chelsea (left) died after experiencing severe stomach pains and vomiting on June 12.
Dubai: The director of the Dubai Health Authority has said the NMC hospital was negligent in treating two children admitted with food poisoning.
"Our medical investigation committee is carrying out a thorough investigation into the food poisoning case that resulted in the death of the two children. There are still aspects of the investigation that we have yet to get answers for, but we have found that the private hospital [New Medical Centre] has been negligent in more than one area," said Qadi Saeed Al Muroshid, in an interview with Dubai TV.
Chelsea and Nathan D'Souza were admitted to the hospital on June 12 soon after eating a takeway meal bought from a Chinese restaurant in Al Ghusais. They were treated and released. Nathan was brought back and he died. Chelsea was transferred to Dubai Hospital, but did not survive.
Al Muroshid blamed NMC hospital for a number of violations. He said that the three (mother and two children ) came to the hospital with a critical intestinal problem. Doctors should have assumed that something was wrong and taken steps.
The hospital discharged the three while it should have kept them under observation for a minimum of 6 hours. And the hospital failed to inform the authorities about the cases.
The hospital informed the police only when the girl was brought back to the hospital and the little boy passed away.
Al Muroshid said when it was decided to transfer the girl to Dubai hospital, NMC took 2:30 hours to deliver the child because of various procedures. The Dubai Authority has not received any notice from NMC until now. The hospital committed other violations as the emergency room was not staffed with a specialist.
An investigation committee has been set up. The violations committed by NMC are: it did not treat the cases as emergencies; it discharged the cases, leading to the first death; and it did not inform any official authority in Dubai about anything until the boy died and even after that they only informed the police.
The hospital will be given the chance to explain what happened. There is a difference between neglect and wrong diagnosis and the three cases were treated with neglect.
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