UAE | Health
Hospitals not allowed to turn away emergencies
Ministry never gave instructions to health institutions to refuse extreme cases, sources say.
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:51 June 15, 2009
Dubai: All hospitals and clinics are equipped to deal with emergencies, but clinics which have only out-patient facilities can still move emergency cases to hospitals where the treatment can be followed up, an executive of a group of hospitals said.
"No hospital or clinic can refuse to admit an emergency case," said the executive who asked not to be identified.
He was responding to a query regarding a hospital that recently refused to handle an emergency case.
A hospital recently refused to admit a woman who was pre-term and had to give birth in the car. She was later transferred to another hospital but she lost the baby.
"There are no proper guidelines," said an executive of the hospital which refused to admit the pregnant woman.
According to background information provided by an official health source, the Ministry of Health never gave instructions to hospitals and clinics to refuse extreme emergency patients.
"All Dubai hospitals and clinics are equipped to deal with basic emergency cases. Once the patient is stabilised, it is their responsibility to move the patient to a better-equipped hospital for the proper level of care, if need be," said the source.
Over the weekend, a couple lost their two children to suspected food poisoning.
Five-year-old Nathan, his seven-year-old sister, Chelsea, and their mother Ann-Sofia were admitted to NMC Hospital after their bouts of vomiting worsened.
Nathan died on arrival while mother and daughter were moved to Dubai Hospital for further treatment.
Your comments
I wonder if anyone has told the NMC Group about this 'no turning away emergencies' situation.
Wasyl Terych
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 16, 2009, 13:22
Yeah, the couple that lost their baby also went to NMC. NMC refused them. NMC needs to be investigated. It's all about common sense. I mean if you see a woman going into labor you don't shove her back into a car to give birth there, it's a no brainer.
Wanda
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 16, 2009, 13:17
I had the same experience last year. Mu husband is already vomitting at the same time had an upset stomach. We were at our workplace in mussaffah that time so we went to NMC at first, however they refused to give him treatment and referred us to other hospital. We went to a private Hospital in Mussaffah. still they didnt give him even first aid and referred us to a public hospital. He is very weak already when we reached the third hospital. However we waited for almost 3 hours for him to be treated. Good thing he didnt die there!!! health authority should look on this issue.
Steinelyn
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: June 16, 2009, 10:54
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