Dubai Court awards Dh50,000 after pilot’s false cancer diagnosis

Dubai: A pilot lost his job after a medical misdiagnosis led him to undergo months of unnecessary chemotherapy, a Dubai civil court has heard, in a case that ended with a private medical centre being ordered to pay Dh50,000 in compensation.

The European pilot had sought Dh5 million in damages, saying the error derailed his career and caused severe psychological and financial distress. He told the court he first visited the clinic complaining of a persistent cough and chest tightness, where initial tests and scans were deemed normal and he was prescribed medication for a cough, Al Khaleej newspaper reported.

After returning to the same centre for follow-up care, more advanced tests were ordered and he was informed that he had a chest tumour. He subsequently underwent intensive chemotherapy over a seven-month period.

According to the claimant, the diagnosis cost him his job, forced him to sell a property at below market value, and led his family to leave the country, with his wife also giving up her work. It later emerged, following assessment at a specialised oncology centre, that he had never had cancer and had not required chemotherapy.

Medical liability committees concluded that a non-serious medical error had occurred, citing failures by a radiologist and a general practitioner to follow established medical protocols, accurately interpret imaging results, or refer the patient to a specialist.

While the court acknowledged the medical error, it ruled that the pilot had not provided sufficient evidence to prove a direct causal link between the misdiagnosis and the wider financial losses claimed. It therefore limited compensation to Dh50,000 and dismissed the remaining claims.