Dubai: A British expatriate says a knee surgery at a Sharjah hospital has left him wheelchair bound.
Keith Stack, 75, lived an active life until he underwent a revision knee surgery at a Sharjah hospital in January this year. His family says he sustained a CVA (cerebrovascular accident/stroke) a day after the surgery. Lack of proper rehabilitation led to his condition, they alleged.
An active golfer, Keith was group director at an automotive company in Dubai for nearly two decades. He was also a leading steward for Dubai World Cup until 2011. “I regret having the surgery... I thought I’d be back to my routine within a week, but I am unable to do anything. I wish I had died,” said Keith with great difficulty as the stroke has left him with a slurred speech and partial memory loss.
“We’d never imagined that life would become so painful after his surgery. He was hoping to resume normal life within a week, but it has been almost a year now that he has been confined to a wheelchair. Had he been given proper treatment in the early stages of the CVA, this situation could have been avoided. Even though hospital authorities assured they would look after him, his rehabilitation was delayed by six months. Today, we are managing his treatment by ourselves and his condition is deteriorating,” Keith’s wife Nasreen Stack, 65, said.
Nasreen said Keith appeared to be in a good condition after the surgery but the CVA led to slurring of speech, memory loss and mood disturbance. “He has no motor function in the right arm and leg and we fear there might be significant disability. We told the hospital that he needs intensive and long-term rehabilitation but there has been no response from them,” she added.
She alleged the hospital delayed Keith’s rehabilitation for several months, adding they could get the physiotherapy done at another hospital at a much later stage. “He needs intensive speech, occupational and physio therapy. It’s the hospital’s responsibility to provide them.”
Keith lived an active life prior to his surgery. A member of the Emirates Golf Club, he was also a leading steward in horse racing at the World Cup in Dubai for several years. “Racing was his passion and when he had to have this revision surgery, he decided to have it here instead of travelling to the UK so that he could attend the World Cup. He had a knee replacement surgery earlier too but then he was able to go back to his routine within a week and had no problems,” said Nasreen.
Not only has his situation restricted his mobility, it’s putting pressure on the family. Nasreen now does all the running around to manage the household and look after her ailing husband.
“We have lived in Dubai for decades and had planned to enjoy our retired life here. But all that seems a distant dream now,” said Nasreen.
